Ginger Gears
by GerdavR
Summary: Set before TFA: Rose is undercover as technician in the First Order; she is the only one knowing First Order tech good enough to play the part. Her mission is to uncover the rumoured new weapon the Order is developing. Things get complicated when she clashes with a certain general about the right latitude of GXP-chips… (Rose/Hux, beta: dandylion-puff; Cover art: solar-sea ily both)
1. Latitude

Rose wiped the sweat running down from her forehead away with the back of her hand. She put the hydro-spanner into her mouth and leaned down on the small rectangle hole in the floor. Behind her she could hear a mouse droid scurrying past her with its tell-tale beeping.

She opened the top-most button of her dark grey First Order uniform. Finally she saw the chips she was looking for. With a few quick movements she had pulled them out of the energy node and replaced them with chips from her pocket.

Suddenly a male voice rang out. "What are you doing, specialist?"

Rose got up; there was a fair-skinned middle-aged captain standing in front of her. His uniform was of course impeccable, even if he was sporting a rather large belly. She was painfully aware of the open button on her uniform and started to fumble to close it.

"I'm repairing the heating system in this hallway, sir."

"A little heat is no excuse to neglect uniform regulations." He eyed her from head to toe. "You're one of these- these civilian workers, aren't you?"

Rose had to suppress the urge to roll her eyes. A little heat? 40° C in full uniform isn't just a little heat. "Yes sir."

He lifted his chin. "Name?"

"Rose Phan, sir."

"Carry on, Specialist Phan."

"Yes sir."

The man gave her one last haughty look and strutted away. Damn, another demerit. If she had learned anything in the past month it was that First Order officers loved to find flaws and report them. And despite her best efforts she always seemed go against regulations.

She sighed and knelt down to close the small opening on the floor. When Poe had suggested that she would go undercover in the First Order she had known that it wasn't going to be a heroic job – not like in the holo novels she used to read. But to think that she would be bored … actually bored and not challenged the slightest by the menial work.

Paige had protested, argued that Rose wasn't exactly spy material. Rose smiled a little when she thought about her sister. She had been right of course. But they didn't need a spy master – they needed someone who knew First Order tech and was able to read blue prints.

They had kept it simple, she had chosen her mother's maiden name as cover and she posed as civilian worker from Hays Minor trying to make a few credits for her family.

She walked towards the turbo lift and did her best to avoid glances from officers.

-o-

"Another demerit?" asked Lieutenant Chitundu. "Damn it, Phan. Are you actually trying to get me demoted?"

"I'm sorry, Lieutenant." Rose really was. Chitundu was actually reasonable, ambitious but reasonable.

"I guess that's what happens when you put civilians in military units." She sighed. "At least you're a good worker, Phan."

Rose wasn't sure how to respond and remained silent.

Chitundu scrolled through her pad. "Well, we got another complaint about the climate control on deck 37 – get to it."

"Yes sir." Rose checked her pad – as expected she had forwarded the form with the complaint.

She headed back to the turbo lift and looked over the description of the problem. She was pretty sure that it was another chip failure. She frowned. It was odd how man chips burned out in the last couple of weeks. It was strange … contrary to the resistance the First Order had top notch gear, state of the art tech and still they burned through chips faster than them.

She was still pondering about the chips when the lift halted and the door slid open. She looked quickly up, to check if she was already on deck 37 when she realised that she was on the bridge. She had only seen it once, when she had to repair a comm station. There was something creepy about the command centre of the _Finalizer_, it made her hackle rise as if were cold.

Her view was blocked by the two men entering the lift. She recognized the first one quickly: it was none other than General Hux himself. Poe and Connix had shown her holos of him when they briefed her on the mission. Hux was taller and paler than she had imagined, he had an unhealthy, stressed look about him.

The second man wore a mask and was even taller than Hux. His robes were black and somewhat tatty – and odd contrast to Hux' pristine uniform.

She took a step back and averted her gaze. She had heard rumours that the masked man was Supreme Leader Snoke's apprentice.

They didn't even look at her. Hux pressed a button and tugged at his black leather glove.

"Do would do well to hold your tongue the next time I choose to address your soldiers," growled the masked man. His voice sounded deep and distorted through the vocorder in his mask.

"You didn't address anyone, all you did was lash out at Mitaka – if you don't wish me to contradict you in front of-" he broke off. "This is neither the place nor the time to discuss this."

Rose gulped. So they had noticed her. Pity, it would've been interesting to hear more. She pretended to read the complaint but she couldn't focus.

The lift halted once again, this time it was her level. Hux and the masked man stepped a little to the side and she walked past them. Moments later the doors closed and she exhaled. Well, that had been one of the more surreal experiences in her life.

Too bad that the resistance hadn't been able to plant a mole on the bridge. It seemed that Hux and the apprentice didn't see eye to eye – there were certainly interesting titbits in their bickering. She looked again on her pad. Oh well, it didn't matter. She was stuck fixing low-priority network problems.

She headed to the junction with the access panel. As she started to peel it off, her thoughts returned to the fact that all over the _Finalizer_ chips burned out. It was of course possible that the Order had gotten a shipment of sub-par isolinear chips … she took the burned out chips she was still carrying out of her pocket and checked their dates. The chips were two years old. She finally pried the panel open and took a look inside – there were also burnt chips. She used her hydro-spanner to loosen them and pulled the first one out. Interesting, it was produced six month ago.

She held the chip against the light. The chip was positively fused, it almost looked like one of her overclocked chips she sometimes used as spare parts in resistance fighters. They also burned out like this if there was a sudden surge of energy in the system.

Her interest was piqued. What if it was also an energy surge that fried these chips on the _Finalizer_? There was only one department that used so much energy that it could affect even systems in lower decks – the weapon development department. The very reason she was here in the first place.

She allowed herself a smile. And now she had the perfect pretence to investigate. Rose felt energized, the prospect of her menial work finally paying off was exhilarating.

.

-o-

.

The room was dark, a lingering smell of a strangely flowery incense hung in the air. Hux' eyes hadn't gotten used to the darkness yet, but he assumed that there had to be incense sticks somewhere in the audience chamber. He almost scoffed. Mystical nonsense.

Beside him stood Ren, breathing heavy in his mask – the very sound annoyed Hux. Not only did the man behave like an Arkanian ox he also seemed to wheeze like one. And the way he had dismissed Mitaka after he had made a proper report … not even a shred of civility or professionalism.

Hux suppressed the urge to check his chronometer. He was due at a troop inspection – but it was of course the prerogative of the Supreme Leader to summon him whenever he pleased. If only he wouldn't let him wait every single time.

Suddenly the holoprojector came to life and Snoke's face appeared in front of them. Hux bowed, after a short moment of hesitation Ren followed his example.

"General," Snoke said in a tight raspy voice, "tell me of your progress on the Starkiller project."

"We are still in the time table with phase one, but we suffered technical set-backs and it's highly likely that we won't finish phase two on time." Hux clasped his hands behind his back, bracing himself for the dressing down. He knew from experience that Snoke wasn't interested in details – he thought that technological progress was a matter of motivation not research.

Snoke narrowed his eyes. "Set-backs?" he hissed. "We already initiated a programme for civil workers and you still lack the manpower to overcome minor technical flaws?"

"Supreme Leader-"

"I'm told that your design is already finished!"

Hux pressed his lips together. Of course he had spies to observe him and his work. It was sensible after all. "Supreme Leader, the issue is not with the design. It's with the energy dampeners. We have to develop new ones that can absorb-"

Snoke glare intensified and Hux felt pressure around his throat. A memory of large meaty hands around his neck, in his face, resurfaced for a split second.

"I'm certain that you will overcome these problems, general."

"Yes, Supreme Leader," croaked Hux. The pressure lifted and he coughed. Beside him he could hear a sharp intake of air from Ren. He gritted his teeth; Ren was probably enjoying the show.

"Leave us, general," said Snoke.

Hux bowed and turned on his heel. He walked towards the exit, small clouds of breath escaped from his lips. Part of him wondered with the Supreme Leaders audience chamber was so cold … no matter. He had his great coat.

-o-

He arrived right on time to the troop inspection. Captain Phasma was running combat drills and gave him a snappy salute once he arrived.

"Sir."

"How are the troops, Captain?" He could see his own reflection on her polished chrome helmet.

"They are still young, sir. But some of them show great promise."

He turned to watch the troopers shooting at moving targets. Their aim was above average, especially from soldier FN-2187, but of course Phasma wouldn't acknowledge it herself.

According to the drill sheet the next drill was hand-to-hand combat. Hux crooked his eyebrow. That seemed rather archaic. Phasma seemed to anticipate his next question.

"It' good for their tenacity and their combat spirit, sir. And it makes them vindictive."

Hux nodded. That much was true as he knew from personal experience.

The cursor blinked on his screen, the programme was waiting for him to continue his dictate. Hux rubbed his temple and read over the last paragraph. He grimaced. His father had taught him the importance of speeches but he hadn't told him how to write them.

He checked the chronometer. It was already past dinner. He wasn't hungry but he still took a half-eaten ration bar lying on his desk and bit off a small piece. He stared at the screen. Perhaps he should continue another time? The speech was due in a week.

He was looking forward to his work-free time in his lab. After sitting through countless meetings and reading reports he could finally do something efficient.

"Close program," he said and the screen went dark. Hux shoved the last piece of the bar in his mouth and got up. He straightened his uniform jacket as he walked to the door. He put his boots on and threw the great coat over his shoulders before he exited his quarters.

His father would disapprove of course. 'Only a weak mind stops in the middle of a task.' But while it was a means to relax it wasn't a waste of time … it was to improve efficiency.


	2. Too Much Voltage

A couple of hours later Rose stretched until her joints clicked. She rubbed her eyes and stared at the small screen in front of her. She had collected all the incidents with burnt out chips and written a programme to find a pattern. She looked around, all her colleagues had already left for supper. She was alone in her cubicle in the office.

She stretched a little more and groaned. It didn't matter. Some of her colleagues – especially Sarith and Tarc – were actually nice, but she made an effort to keep to herself. The less she talked about herself, the safer she was.

And the food in the First Order personnel mess wasn't exactly tasty. Rose always had to bring a few spices along to make it halfway decent. What she would give for a real bowl of Tarisian bogweed with pepper sauce … she stretched once again and looked back on the screen.

The way the chips burnt out … on the simulated map it looked like a spider's web. And the WDD was right in the middle of it. She smiled, she knew it! The next step was to ascertain what they were working on.

She looked on the chronometer on the screen. Theoretically she could leave now, get something to eat and start tomorrow … or she could get going right now. After a short moment of hesitation she buttoned up her jacket, took her uniform hat and her maintenance kit and left.

-o-

About an hour later she cursed her decision. She had started at the first chip node on the deck where the WDD was situated in order to pin the exact source of the energy fluctuations down – only problem was that the deck was huge.

She wiped over her eyes and suppressed a yawn. She had been overzealous, but if she was already at it she could keep going for a bit longer.

She checked node after node, at the seventh she found a single burnt out chip. She replaced it and studied the node. There was a room right next to it. She closed the panel and got up. Perhaps she should take a look? She chewed on her lower lip. Was she too rash?

In this moment the nightly energy mode kicked in and the lights in the hallway she was standing in dimmed. Well, it seemed like a good moment.

Rose took the scanner in her right hand as if she wanted to scan the next node and stepped closer to the room. To her surprise the door slid open, the room itself was almost dark – there was only one large holoprojector in the middle of the room, its blue light painted the surroundings in a cool light.

The holo showed an enlarged blue print. She gripped her scanner tightly. This was it, it had to be. The new weapon the Order was building.

She stepped closer, eager to take a look- suddenly she heard something on her right. Instead of trying to hide she just froze and gripped her scanner so hard that her knuckles turned white.

A tall black figure stepped into the cold light of the holo. Rose felt all colour drain from her face when she recognized Hux. He stopped dead in his tracks and narrowed his eyes.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" he asked sharply.

Kriff! Why hadn't she just waited?!

"Specialist Phan, sir. I- uh I noticed that through the ship's isolinear chips burnt out before expiration date and I-" Crap, that sounded unprofessional. She cleared her throat. "I'm replacing chips in the nodes on this deck, sir."

He stepped closer, only now she registered that he looked positively tired and worn-out. His usually meticulously slicked back ginger hair looked as if he had carelessly ran his hand through it. From the corner of her eye she saw a black great coat lying on a table with pads. From the looks of it he was working here … but why would Hux work in the middle of the night on weapon prototypes?

"You're replacing chips? And this couldn't wait until the morning I take it?" There was a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

He was right of course – there was no way she could explain why she was so eager to work this late. Suddenly she remembered what Poe had told her: 'Try to be as honest as possible, lie only in the details.'

Yes, the only way out of this was to grasp the rancor by the teeth. "May I speak freely, sir?"

He clasped his hands behind his back and stepped even closer, apparently using his height to intimidate her. She was almost two heads smaller than he. To her dismay it worked, she felt uneasy.

"Go on."

She lifted her chin. "I'm a civilian worker, sir. Since I arrived here I did mostly boring maintenance work … its fine of course. That's what I'm here for. But when I discovered a pattern to the burnt out chips today I- uh, I got excited. I wanted to get to the bottom of it. There was a burnt out chip in the node in front of this room – so curiosity got the better of me and I came to look."

Hux scanned her face with his ice-blue eyes, apparently trying to decide if she was lying to him. "What kind of pattern?"

It was working! She pulled her pad from one of her pockets and activated it. "As you can see, the energy surges seem to originate from this deck, the WDD to be exact."

He took her tablet and looked closer; she noticed that he wasn't wearing his black gloves. That and the fact that way his hair wasn't immaculate … seemed almost casual. What the kriff was he doing here?

He suddenly seemed to lose interest in her, he turned on his heel and stepped to the holo. He zoomed out of the blue print, and checked it with Rose's diagram. Strange, but since he didn't seem to be interested in her presence anymore she slowly approached the holo.

She realised that she wasn't looking at a weapons design but at the energy and power systems of the _Finalizer_. There were readings on the lower corner of the holo – someone had increased the energy output by 0.3%. It was marginal, but the increase of power in the whole ship had caused a local spike in some nodes ... and fried the chips.

Should she just stay silent and wait for Hux to kick her out? Or should she try to gather some intel? Well, she was here …

"The additional energy would improve the performance on some systems, but the GXP-chips used in the nodes can't compensate for the additional power," she said while continuing looking at the holo.

He snapped his head around. "GXP-chips have latitude for 0.4%."

She shouldn't contradict him, the Force knows how a guy like Hux would react to that. She bit her lower lip. But on the other hand he was simply _wrong_. "Theoretically yes, but in real life they can't handle more than 0.28. Especially in a large network like the one on this ship. There is simply too much voltage."

He scoffed. "Nonsense! The overall performance was increased."

"It will fry even more chips over time!"

"A few burnt-out chips are easily replaced."

By the stars! Why didn't he get it? "Every burnt-out chip has to be replaced with new ones! A crate with 200 chips takes about two weeks to deliver. At this rate we'll be out of chips by end of the month."

He stared at her with his icy eyes, she crossed her arms and glared back.

Suddenly she had an idea, she stepped to the holo and pointed to the aft section of the _Finalizer_. "The problem is the size of the network, but if we add buffers to every section the voltage wouldn't be as high. It would even be possible to bump up the energy output to 0.33%."

His eyes went wide and he quickly added the suggested buffers to the holo. He rubbed his chin as he stared at the simulation. "You're not wrong."

She almost rolled her eyes. Of course she wasn't wrong – she was _right_!

He eyed her. "What exactly is your profession?"

The smug feeling from before disappeared. Damn her stupid pride. She was supposed to keep a low profile. "I don't have a profession, sir. Back home I was a jack of all trades and simply fixed what needed fixing."

He wiped over his face and suddenly looked exhausted. "Dismissed."

She was taken aback by the sudden end of their conversation, but she was also relieved at the same time. She saluted and left.

On her way to her quarters she felt slightly nervous, she blamed it partly on the dim lights in the corridors that turned the usually brightly lit way into a shadowy path. It didn't help that she went over her conversation with Hux in her mind and thought about a possible visit from Internal Security.

If Hux decided to report her to IS … she looked again at some of the darker corners of the hallway. She exhaled. Relax, she told herself. If he had they wouldn't bother to hide in the shadows – there was a reason why IS wore white uniforms instead of darks one like the rest of the Order. They wanted to be seen.

It was futile to think about them – if they were after her she was done for. She just had to keep going. She had reached her quarters, punched in the code and entered.

To say that her room was small was an understatement, the narrow bed and the tiny locker in one room, the bathroom with a sonic shower in another. But at least she had her own room. She kicked her boots off her feet and let herself fall on the bed, burying her face in the pillow.

Kriff, what a night! It was a good thing that she wasn't writing reports to the resistance. Paige would fly over just to rip her head off. She could almost hear her: 'How is arguing with General Hux keeping a low profile? Can't you keep you trap shut for once?'

She turned around and groaned. It hadn't been her best idea to go into the WDD in the middle of the night, and her pig-headedness hadn't helped either. She stared at the ceiling. But it was interesting … Hux was tinkering with the ships systems. And he clearly knew what he was doing. She couldn't remember if there was something in his file about him being an engineer or something like that.

She sat up and started to undress. Was Hux working on other projects too? It was possible; it would explain why the WDD was on the _Finalizer_. That was a problem of course – he had seen her and while it was difficult to say if he would even remember her face after a couple of days it would be difficult to turn up at the WDD with some bogus reason. The risk was too great.

She put on her pyjamas. She had to lay low for a couple of weeks and try again. There would be another opportunity – she just had to keep reminding herself not to do something rash. That and she should keep her smart-arsedness in check.

Rose crawled in her bed and sighed. Stick to the plan, keep a low profile.

.

-o-

.

Hux watched Specialist Phan leave. He ran his hand through his hair and exhaled. Bested by some civilian 'jack of all trades'. He stared at the holo.

Why hadn't he seen that his alterations would affect the ship this way? He started to pace back and forth. He was an engineer … a brilliant one even. Snoke had said so himself. He felt slightly ill, he just had to focus more, pay more attention! A stupid mistake! He stopped and grabbed his left hand with his right and pressed the fingernail of his thumb into the soft skin between the thumb and the index finger.

The pain put him at ease.

His thoughts returned to Phan. Perhaps it wasn't his fault for not seeing the difference between theory and real life. The way she had grasped his project within moments and had come up with a workable solution … she was more than a mere maintenance worker.

And the way she had spoken to him … defiantly, proud. And he had let her instead of admonishing her for her lack of compliance.

He let go of his hand and grabbed his great coat lying on the other table. He had just been tired, and she had shown up rather unexpected. It didn't matter. The next time he would make sure that she knew where her place was.

He turned the power off and strode out of the lab towards the nearest turbo-lift.

-o-

The next morning he got up at exactly 06:00. He was still a little drowsy when he headed into his bathroom and started to brush his teeth. During lunch he could head back into the lab and make sure that repair crews could install puffers as Specialist Phan had suggested. He spit out and activated the small screen next to the sink. Moments later he had found her personnel file.

Hm, judging by the file she had told the truth about herself. He scrolled down to her evaluation report – the section was empty. He frowned and scrolled back up. Ah, she had only been on board for a few weeks.

He splatted water in his face and started to shave with his sonic razor. That certainly explained her attitude. Only a matter of time before this … civilian would comply.

On the other hand it had probably been her non-conformance that had led her to volunteer the solution to his project the evening before. Others might have bowed down and just agreed with him.

He returned to his bedroom and pulled a fresh uniform from his cupboard. He turned his back to the large mirror next to his bed and unbuttoned his pyjama shirt. Then he slid into a white undershirt before he undressed himself further. Moment later he fastened his belt with his sidearm and straightened his uniform jacket.

He heard the door of his quarters slid open; out of habit he checked his chronometer. 06:15. The factotum droid was on time – it always was. He heard it leave. He went back into the bathroom and put product on his hair.

Perhaps he could take advantage of the civilian workers? They certainly had a different mind-set than First Order Engineers … but it was impossible to trust them with the Starkiller project. Silly idea. He had to pull himself together – he could do it, all he needed was an idea … like when he came up with the plan in the first place.

Snoke had been enthusiastic about it of course. Hux had been satisfied that Snoke liked it, but there was something about this project … he couldn't put his finger on it. He had been oddly reluctant to work on it after phase one. Well, it didn't matter. He would complete it as Snoke had demanded.

He combed his hair until no hair was out of place.

Then he ventured into the living room where his desk stood. The droid had put a tray with a slice of dark bread, a cup of tea and an injector on the table.

Hux sat down and injected the stim into his wrist. In mere moments he was awake and alert. He grabbed the bread and started to eat it as he activated the screen to check his day's schedule.


	3. Loose Contact

She was tired even after her morning shower and it seemed that it showed. She stood in the middle of the mess hall, narrowing her eyes when a lean dark-skinned man and a tall olive-skinned tall woman in dark First Order uniforms waved at her. Rose blinked and finally recognized them and waved back. Sarith and Tarc had already found a table. She walked over, put her tray with the two cups of caf and the bowl with oatmeal down next to Sarith and sat down.

"Good morning. Did you pull an all-nighter because of these stupid chips? Your look half asleep!" asked Tarc. She bit a piece of bread off and chewed slowly.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," said Rose and suppressed a yawn.

"You know, for someone who wasn't raised in the Order you're quite eager," said Sarith. He stirred in his caf. "They don't pay overtime, you know."

Rose shrugged. "I know, but I'm bored out of my mind here. There isn't much else to do besides working."

Tarc smacked her lips. "Don't give me that – we invited you to Sabbacc with the other civilian workers."

Rose took a gulp of caf. "You did and I told you that I suck at it. I can't gamble with my salary."

"Do you really think a few credits matter? And besides, it's not only about the game you know." Sarith winked. "It's also about meeting people. There was this guy a couple of weeks ago-"

"Is this going to be another tale of your sexual prowess?" asked Tarc.

"Well, I wasn't going to regale you with a story that hasn't a happy ending. Besides, you are no better than me."

Tarc laughed. "Touché." She leaned over to Rose. "You should come – even if you're not into men and/or women. It's the best spot to hear juicy rumours."

"What kind of juicy rumours?" Rose shoved a spoonful of oatmeal into her mouth.

Tarc leaned even closer. "What do you think? Just the other day I heard that Captain Laurențiu and Lieutenant Gorsceu hooked up."

Rose lifted her eyebrow. "Isn't that against some First Order law or something?"

"They are stuck on space ships for years … the Order doesn't care who bangs whom," said Sarith. "As long as they don't neglect their duty of course."

Rose emptied her first cup of caf. Gossip could be useful. The problem was of course that going on a Sabbacc night clashed with her keeping her distance from her colleagues. Poe had warned her that this was the hardest part of going undercover – making friends that she had to lie to on daily basis.

But on the other hand it was as possible source of intel ...

"Alright," she said, "when and where?"

-o-

"Bottoms up," said Tarc.

Rose shallowed the dark liquid in her glass in one go. She coughed as the Tarisian Whiskey burned in her throat.

"By the stars, that's horrible!" She croaked and looked again on the holo cards in her hand. She could feel the warmth of the alcohol spread out in her stomach.

"It's not supposed to taste good, it's supposed to help you having a good time." Tarc slapped a 9er card on the table.

Rose groaned and folded. "I lose again. That's it – I quit."

Tarc gave her a broad grin. "Too bad."

Rose pushed her chair back and got up. She felt a little light-headed. Despite having lost twenty credits she felt good. It was nice to loosen up a little.

She glanced at some of the other people who were still playing. Sarith stood at a table, whispering with a well-build blonde man. He noticed her and winked at her. She smiled and lifted her empty glass as a salute.

A group of people next to her erupted with laughter. Rose closed in, curious to hear what they were talking about.

"I swear it's true!" exclaimed a plump man.

"I don't believe it – Gorsceu is already taken," replied another man.

"Yet he's after the new Lieutenant on deck 44, I saw them together just the other day."

"Define 'together'."

"They stood together talking about something – but they were way into each other's personal space. And you should've seen them when Hux walked past them, they literally jumped."

"Idiots," hissed a woman standing next to them.

"What do you mean?" asked the plump man.

"They're flirting in front of senior staff? In front of Hux? They're lucky if he doesn't send IS their way."

Rose stepped even closer. This was a prime opportunity to gather intel. "Why would he do that? I thought the Order doesn't care if-"

"This is Hux we're talking about. This guy isn't human, and he's highly paranoid. Rumour has it that he has killed to get where he is now. So if someone were to whisper in his presence he could think that they were plotting against him."

The woman scoffed. "You really think the Order would be where it is if there were murder and mayhem in the upper echelon. But you're right: he's a droid or something like that. The perfect soldier."

"I heard they had once a bet going on if and when they would see him smile," added the man. "I guess they're still waiting."

Rose remembered the way he had looked when she met him in the WDD a week ago. He had looked tired, hadn't been neat as a pin. It seemed that it was very unusual for him. He had thought that he was alone … so he had been unguarded. Interesting.

"Let's return to more interesting topics," said the woman. "Have either of you seen Sergeant Crale in the past two weeks?"

"Oh, indeed! She's been working out!"

Rose walked away and went to the counter that had been transformed into a bar. She took a look around, the storage room looked nice for a change. Strange to think that even in the First Order were people that wanted to have a good time now and then.

She scanned the room. And they didn't care that they were helping them to conquer the galaxy, raid planets … she pressed her lips together. And here she was, having a good time while the resistance was struggling.

The pleasant buzz she was feeling evaporated. She put the glass down and made her way to the door. As soon as the door slid close behind her she realised that it was already past midnight. The hallways were dim.

She wiped across her face. Most of the civilians working for the Order wanted to earn a decent wage, some wanted to support their families … others just wanted to have a stable job. It was discerning how banal evil sometimes was.

She sighed; she should go to bed. There was no need to get all goody-goody and question the state of the galaxy and her role in it.

-o-

The next days were quite slow. Lieutenant Chitundu scrolled through her pad after Rose had returned from repairing turbo lift no. 245.

"You're fast, Phan." She smiled at her. "And you didn't get another demerit."

"I guess I've learned to keep my mouth shut."

Chitundu frowned as she scrolled further down on her to do-list. "Somehow I doubt that."

She was right of course, thought Rose, but she was still a little surprised that she could read her that well.

"I know that your skills are wasted in maintenance, Phan, but without a formal education there is not much I can do," continued Chitundu.

"I know, Lieutenant."

"So consider this a little thank you for your work." She typed something on her data pad. "There is a faulty power coupling on the bridge. It's only a minor repair job but it's yours."

Rose eyes widened. "The bridge?" This was perfect! Perhaps she could finally have a closer look at it!

"Go on and keep quiet."

-o-

Rose checked her scanner and her tools as she strode to the lift. She would take her time to repair whatever the problem was with the power coupling. At the same time she could check if there were any security weaknesses – perhaps she could insert a spike the next time?

She straightened her uniform, she had to stay invisible – just another worker bee in the hive. Easy. She pushed the button to the bridge and licked her lips. She just had to stay calm and focussed.

When the doors finally slid open she stepped out and headed right to the panel with the power coupling in the far left corner.

Cautiously she glanced at her surroundings. A large viewport showed space; there were a few colourful planets in the distance and the usual amount of stars surrounding them.

About ten technicians monitored the course of the _Finalizer_ on large screens. Their eyes were glued to the moving dots in front of them, there was a good chance that they wouldn't pay her any attention.

Two senior officers in the back supervised the technicians; they looked at their screens and from time to time they let their gaze wander over the room. One of them briefly looked at Rose but he didn't seem to see her, his gaze went right through her.

Rose averted her gaze and closed in on the power coupling. She decided to have one last look on the surroundings. She noticed a lone slim figure looking out the panoramic viewport. The ginger hair and his stiff posture left no doubt; it had to be Hux.

She quickly cast her eyes down. Well, she had known that it was a high possibility that he would be here. It didn't matter, he wouldn't remember her. She knelt down next to the panel and pulled it off. If she were to insert a spike she would've only had to mind the two senior officers. They were likely more alert than they let on … but it was possible to slice the system. All she needed was time and an opportunity.

She scanned the power coupling. The contact point was slightly askew, but of course the secondary system did start up as soon as the primary contact became dodgy. It was but a minor inconvenience. That explained why it was low on the to do-list.

She took her hydro-spanner and adjusted the contact. It was a pity that it was such a simple repair, she thought briefly about pretending to need more time for the repair. No, she couldn't look around too much anymore without raising suspicion. Best to finish up and leave.

She put the panel back and got up, from the corner of her eye she saw a movement. Hux was pacing on the narrow path from the viewport to the lift, he seemed to be in thought. Before she could look away he turned his head a little and made eye contact.

.

-o-

.

Hux had to blink in surprise. He walked up to her and crooked his eyebrow. "Specialist Phan, I wasn't aware of any maintenance on the bridge."

"Sir, it was a minor fault in the power coupling – too insignificant to notify the bridge crew," she replied meekly.

Captain Peavey appeared on his right side. "Is there a problem, sir? I hope this-" he eyed her uniform, "_civilian_ isn't bothering you."

Hux clasped his hands behind his back. Peavey was a noisy as always. "Not at all, Captain Peavey. You're dismissed, specialist."

She saluted. "Yes sir."

Hux watched her disappear into the lift. He was mildly annoyed at Peavey. He wasn't sure why. He had been interested to talk to her … no that would've been a waste of time.

"Civilians shouldn't be allowed on the bridge, sir."

Hux glanced shortly at him before continued his pacing. "Even the bridge is in need of maintenance, captain."

"Yes sir."

Hux stepped to the viewport and watched the stars fly by. Only a matter of hours before they reached Naboo. He anticipated an easy victory. The Queen of Naboo thought that her planet could withstand the might of the First Order … foolish. She had no choice but to bow to them.

Moments later he heard the heavy breathing of Kylo Ren behind him.

"Don't worry, Ren. Your squadron stands ready as requested," he said without turning to face Ren.

"I would hope so," said Ren. "You were less than enthused when-"

Hux turned to face Ren, he eyed him from head to toe. "I'm a professional." Unlike some others, he thought.

Ren made a sound that could've been a laughter. "If you say so."

What a cheap attempt to provoke him. Hux chose to ignore Ren and directed his gaze again to the viewport. Moments later Ren left.

From the corner of his eye Hux saw that Lieutenant Mitaka visibly relaxed. How he had received a commission was beyond Hux – Mitaka was eager and smart but lacked the necessary stoicism for higher postings.


	4. Chips Down

Tarc lifted her glass and clinked it against Rose's. "To the lousiest Sabacc player on the _Finalizer_!"

"Hey!"

She shrugged. "What? It's true, isn't it?"

"Give her a break," said Sarith. "At least she had the guts to play against you."

Tarc laughed. "You're right."

Rose sighed and sipped her beer. All things considered it had been pretty silly to play Sabacc again. But after yesterday's experiences on the bridge she needed something to take her mind off the mess of her own doing.

Everybody had looked at her – gone was her anonymity. Why had Hux bothered to talk to a low-level worker at all! And why in the galaxy had he remembered her? If she showed her face again on the bridge at least one of the senior officers would probably recognize her. She had to wait for weeks if not months before she could attempt any kind of slicing.

And the worst of it was that Hux seemed to be distrustful of her presence on the bridge. At least to him she wasn't invisible anymore. Well, she just had to keep out of his way.

She took another gulp of beer. Of course she had no idea how she could pull that off. After all she didn't know his daily routines. But luckily the _Finalizer_ was a huge ship with hundreds of people … it shouldn't be too hard to avoid Hux.

She relaxed a little. Yes, that's it. There were quite a few repairs necessary in the hangars, no chance that he would ever turn up down there. Problem solved, low profile and all that.

She looked at the beer bottle and started to peel off the stick-on label. She suppressed a yawn. To think that she had to lay low for weeks if not months … it sucked. Perhaps she should go to sleep early – either that or she would drink another beer.

Tarc found another opponent and left them to join another table. Sarith lifted his beer bottle. "Another?"

Rose nodded. He got up and she started to massage her temples. The label said that it was some beer from Hutt space, probably cheap stuff … she could already feel the headache coming on.

Sarith put the new bottle in front of her. "You feeling alright?"

She really had to work on her Sabacc face, some spy she turned out to be … "Nope." She took a gulp. "I think I'm homesick."

"And here I thought it had something to do with the fact that General Hux himself dressed you down – silly me."

Rose jerked her head up. "What?"

"Heard it a couple of hours ago."

She groaned. This was terrible! It would take even longer for people to forget if there were rumours going around about her. "It's not true. He just remarked about the fact that he wasn't aware that here had been maintenance planned on the bridge."

He grinned. "Thought so, otherwise you wouldn't sit here."

"My shitty day just got worse." She took a big gulp.

"Take it easy, we're all bored. Nobody thinks twice about rumours anyway."

"Well, it sucks. If Chitundu even gets so much as a whiff of this rumour she'll send me into sanitation for good. She already thinks that I'm trying to sabotage her career."

"You could just own it, you know."

"What do you mean?"

"Just go with it – tell everybody that it's true. That Hux yelled at you for doing your work. That will get you pity points and everybody will believe it." He winked at her.

Against her will Rose had to chuckle. "Woe is me."

"I mean it. Have you seen one of his speeches? He has a serious case of rabies; some officers even call him 'rabid cur' behind his back."

"I didn't know that … and what's this about a speech?"

"Well, then you're in for a treat tomorrow." He lifted his bottle and chinked it against hers.

"Wait, this so-called 'information event' is a speech?" Rose frowned.

"Yeah, every month or so they have this huge propaganda events. From what I heard they broadcast them in the whole Order."

"Does Snoke ever talk?"

He shook his head. "Nobody has ever seen him, Hux does the talking."

So Hux was Snoke's mouthpiece? Interesting to know. She had known that he was important but the extent of his knowledge must be much bigger than his files let on. It annoyed her even more that she had to sit tight for some time.

-o-

The next day they were called to the main hangar at noon. Rose stood in the back with other civilian workers, the front rows were filled with Stormtroopers. There were giant red flags hanging from the ceiling, and a stage had been erected. Portable holos were floating around, the atmosphere was tense.

Rose felt a shudder run down her spine. Up until now she hadn't had much contact with First Order propaganda, but seeing the soldiers standing at attention, the emblem of oppression above them – it was nauseating.

Tarc and Sarith stood next to her, from the corner of her eye she glanced at them. They looked bored. For a moment Rose wished that she could be indifferent as well, ignoring the suffocating sensation in her throat, the anger and the frustration about having to stand here, to see the enemy bask in their presumed glory.

Moments later Hux and the black-clad apprentice of Snoke appeared on stage. Rose was so far away that she couldn't make out their faces.

The holos activated, Hux' figure was projected throughout the hangar as he stepped in the middle of the stage.

"Today we celebrate the victory on Naboo! We did away with the frail monarchy and their feeble queen. The New Republic threatened us, but in the end they did nothing!" He almost spitted the last word. "The citizens of Naboo were tired of the old traditions, tired of the disorder and chaos – tired of overcome forms of government. So they supported us, people who understood that any planet needs a strong leadership to protect their citizens!"

Rose gritted her teeth. And why did they need protection in the first place? Because of the First Order.

Security, chaos and new ways … She had heard these talking points before, back on Hays Minor when charismatic people had promised simple solutions to complex problems. At times the miners had believed the grand promises – only to be disappointed as soon as the populists were in office. They could never keep their promises. The galaxy wasn't this simple … and relinquishing control over one's future to somebody else was never the answer.

Hux continued with his speech. She had a pretty good look at one of the holos – he did resemble a rabid cur when he yelled and gestured. A wonder she couldn't see spittle.

"We will bring order to the galaxy! And soon all systems will bow to the First Order!"

Cheers erupted from the Stormtroopers, much to Rose's surprise. Up until now they had stood at attention, seemingly unmoved by the speech. Was this part of the show? The cheers didn't sound artificial … she pressed her lips together. The troopers had been indoctrinated from birth, of course they would believe in anything Hux said. This was what the resistance was up against – mindless fanatics.

Hux stepped back and Snoke's apprentice appeared on the holo.

"That's new," whispered Tarc next to her.

So the apprentice didn't usually speak? This might prove interesting.

"The past is irrelevant, let it die. Kill it if you have to." His voice was deep and calm, a strange contrast to Hux' passionate speech. He turned and left the stage, the Stormtroopers were apparently as taken aback as she was – there was no applause and no cheer. After a few moments they started to clap politely.

After Hux had left the stage too the audience started to scatter.

"Huh, didn't think that Ren would be so calm," said Tarc. He's-"

"Not here," hissed Sarith. "We'll talk about this later."

-o-

The afternoon was quite busy, it turned out that there had been a faulty delivery of replacements parts – which were all of course already had been used all over the ship. Lieutenant Chitundu looked at the verge of panic when she told her team the news.

"This is a catastrophic! The quality assurance division has failed – and it's up to us to fix it. I want each and every part checked and replaced if necessary. And I want it done today."

"Today?" asked a young technician. "It's gonna take hours just to compile a list of-"

"I don't care," snapped Chitundu. "And I don't care how long it is going to take. You will finish today!" She grabbed her pad and stormed out of the office.

"By the stars!" groaned the young technician. "She only wants us to finish today so that she can kiss her superiors' ass."

"Well, she's a climber," said another.

"Yeah, on our backs," said Tarc. She sighed. "Come on, let's get going. It's not like we have a choice."

"Do we at least get paid for the overtime this time?" asked Rose.

Tarc chuckled. "Oh, my dear Rose. You're so naïve … it warms my crusty old heart. Of course we don't get paid overtime."

"But then they can't demand-"

"Welcome to the First Order, where you don't get paid overtime but where you can get a treason charge for not doing as you're told," said Tarc.

"You shouldn't talk like that, Tarc," said a middle-aged man. "If anyone hears you…"

She grimaced. "Let's just get to work."

.

-o-

.

"Good speech, sir." Mitaka looked sincere, he even smiled at him.

Hux frowned. "It was adequate, Lieutenant," he said in a low voice.

The speeches were a necessity of course, but he had always felt that he lacked the charisma to effectively deliver them. Or rather he lacked the stature and the gravitas … his father had cut an impressive figure on the stage.

"As you say, sir!" Mitaka saluted and left Hux' office.

Hux shrugged his great coat off and let himself fall on the chair. There were still eight reports he had to read before he could retire for the day … or rather before he could go down to the lab.

The first few were progress reports on the Starkiller project. So far the engineers hadn't found a solution to the energy problem; but at least they had acquired the required generators.

The fifth report was from Internal Security – it was an opinion analysis. Hux was impressed, they had worked fast. It seemed that the Stormtroopers had liked the speech; there was some unflattering gossip about Ren which made Hux smile.

Hm, apparently there were also rumours about him. He sat straighter up and hesitated a little before he scrolled further. To his surprise the gossip revolved around his strict discipline, linking him to a machine. Apparently the troops didn't talk about his appearance. Or at least IS hadn't recorded any comment in that vein.

Yes, it seemed unlikely that they didn't at least make fun of his scrawny figure. IS just hadn't happen to overhear all the comment concerning his physique.

He wondered that the civilian workers were talking about and scrolled down to that section. It was rather short, it only mentioned that the civilians generally made fun of their direct superiors. "Considering that the civilian workforce didn't undergo conditioning or re-education further investigation is meaningless," the report read. "They're usually undisciplined and don't share the enthusiasm required of FO personnel."

He couldn't help but think about Specialist Phan. Her … unique haircut certainly underlined that she wasn't military. So did her brash way of speaking to a superior officer. In many ways she was the opposite of someone like Mitaka.

He wondered what she had thought of the speech. She wouldn't have offered false praise. She would rather have pointed out that Naboo's monarchy hadn't crumbled, it had rather cut its losses and had signed a treaty with the Order.

He put the pad down. Strange that he was still thinking about her. Well, she had proved to be a very intelligent engineer, mechanic … or whatever she really was. It was only natural to be interested in competent personnel.

Hux read the last few reports before he grabbed his great coat. It was already past dinner time, but of course he still would be able to order food in the officer's mess.


	5. Fluctuation

Rose pulled the wrapping paper from a ration bar and chewed on it as she scrolled through the remaining list of checks they still had to do. They would finish past 22:00 that much was clear. She noticed that there were checks that needed to be done in the WDD.

She bit her lips. Damn it. She should wait until she went down there again … on the other hand it was a good opportunity to have another look. It was after all in another section than the lab where she had met Hux.

She noted in the list that she would do the check-ups in the WDD and exhaled. Perhaps this was a mistake … well, it's done. Best go down there and do the work.

She ate the bar quickly, her mouth was dry and she stopped briefly at a water dispenser on the way to the lift.

-o-

About an hour later she closed a panel in the WDD and consulted the list once again. Two to go, the others were finishing up as well – at least going by the constantly updating list. She grabbed her tools and shuffled to the next junction.

Just as she was scanning the replaced parts a voice rang out. "Another project of yours, specialist?"

She flinched and let the scanner fall. She looked up and saw Hux standing over her. He looked the same as at the speech, uniform pristine and hair slicked back. Perhaps the others were right and he was a droid. He looked impeccable, even his overcoat was still thrown over his shoulders. How the kriff had he been able to sneak up on her?

"No sir," she replied quickly and picked the scanner up. "Just following orders," she added.

He looked at her then his gaze travelled down the hallway, when he looked at her again he frowned. "What's your assignment?"

Rose blinked. He wanted to know what some grunt was doing? "Uh … faulty replacement parts, sir. We noticed this afternoon and started to check the ones that were already built-in into the ship." She had thought about mentioning Lieutenant Chitundu's orders to work into the night, but decided against it.

"Give me your pad," he said in a low voice.

So he didn't believe her? She handed it to him and continued with the work as he scrolled through the list. She exhaled, these parts were in order. There was only one junction remaining. She put the panel back in and got up.

Hux looked up from the pad. "It looks like your assignment is soon over."

"Yes sir."

"I have … another assignment for you, specialist." He scanned her face with his eyes and his mouth twitched a little. "Report to me as soon as you're finished."

"Yes sir."

He turned on his heel and left. She watched him disappear behind a corner. Her hands felt sweaty. What was going on? Something didn't feel right. Why would he give an assignment to some grease monkey he just happens to meet in a dim hallway? She straightened herself.

Well, whatever it was – she had to report to him no matter what. Perhaps he just wanted to lecture her about the importance of Order like in his speech?

She went to the last panel and peeled it open. Did he want to question her? No, he wouldn't bother to call it an assignment. She quickly replaced the fault parts and closed the panel again.

Well, she would find out.

.

-o-

.

Hux clenched his hands to fists as he hurried back into his lab. He had made a mistake. He shouldn't have asked her into the lab again. But when he was standing there, watching her he realised that he- he wanted to talk to her.

An old memory resurfaced, his father grinning, fastening his belt as Hux had entered his office. A woman rushed past him hastily buttoning up her jacket.

'One of the peaks of the job, boy.'

His father had laughed, a deep guttural sound that had given him goosebumps. Then he had put his large hand on Hux' shoulder and pressed his thumb into his collarbone.

'Just the right distraction after a long day in the office.'

Hux pinched the bridge of his nose and shortly closed his eyes. No, it wasn't like this.

She had stimulated him intellectually the last time, challenged him. He just wanted to ascertain her competence … yes, it was rational to measure her capabilities. It was perfectly logical.

He pulled up one of his more interesting projects.

.

-o-

.

Rose found him as expected in the same lab as the last time. There was a different holo on display on the large table. He was bent over it, rotating the holo model in front of him. When he heard her enter he turned around and clasped his hands behind his back.

She approached the table and noticed that the model was a tiny floating droid with an energy shield on top. Was it some kind of artillery protection? She forced herself to look away, she mustn't appear too eager.

In the bright light of the lab she noticed that he looked gaunt, paler even than the last time. Hux looked tired. She hadn't noticed before. So he wasn't a droid after all.

"What is the assignment, sir?"

"This is a small project I've been working on." He turned to face the holo. "As you can see it's a floating device that projects a four-phase-altering shield. It's supposed to protect from atmospheric changes."

Rose was baffled. She looked from the holo to Hux and again to the holo. "You're working on a floating umbrella?" she said before she could stop herself.

The tips of his ears turned red. "Of course not, specialist. This is much more than just a simple umbrella!" He frowned. "It's an important tool if our troops are on planets with a high level of rainfall. Have you ever tried to repair a lightning conductor during a storm?"

That was very specific. So Hux had been repairing conductors at one point in his career. This must have been quite a few years back, before he became a senior officer.

"No sir, I haven't."

He straightened his uniform; it seemed like a mechanical gesture seen as his uniform was impeccable. "The simulation suggests that the energy fluctuation in the shield are too strong with the current settings. Theoretically it should be the correct amount of particles …"

Rose enlarged the shield emitter on the droid. Interesting, Hux had aligned the emitters in an unusual way, rather than putting them just side by side he had arranged them into a roundabout. But that wasn't the problem: the current shield settings were so strong that the rain would evaporate on impact; generating a mist-like vapour.

She turned the fluctuation down by 0.02% and started the simulation. The umbrella wasn't waterproof anymore, single drops fell through the shield … so this was too weak. Somewhere in the 0.02% was the right frequency … it would prove tricky to find it.

Rose realised that she had been staring at the holo for quite some time, thus ignoring Hux. She glanced at him, only to realise that he was checking calculations on his pad. His lips weren't pressed together anymore, he was chewing on his lower lip. He looked strangely relaxed compared to before.

She turned her attention again on the holo. Was this the assignment? He wanted her to help him building a floating umbrella? Strange. Why was the military head of the First Order concerned with projects like this? Come to think about it – why had he bothered to try to increase the energy output on the ship in the first place? It was more efficient but on the other hand it wasn't that important.

And why was he working so late on his 'little' projects? Well, she would find out. First things first.

She pulled up the chips used in the emitter and started to go through their specifications.

-o-

Rose supressed a yawn and stretched until her joints clicked. Hux looked up from his calculations, he had a surprised look on his face as if he had forgotten that she was there.

"I would offer you tea, specialist. But I'm afraid there is only one mug." He sounded slightly annoyed.

"Thanks, I'm more of a caf person anyway," she replied, ignoring the fact that he had actually said that he couldn't give her any tea. Why would he even mention it?

"Tea is superior to caf. You would do well to change your preferences."

She was tired and she could feel a headache coming on. Arrogant jerk. "Yeah, but I like beverages that don't taste like old socks … sir."

He put the pad down. "Well, it's your own fault if you're using sub-par tea leaves instead of the good ones!"

Her _fault_? She stared at him. Had he even- wait, was she really bickering with Hux about tea? What was the matter with her? She rubbed her temples. "Yes sir." She should pull herself together.

The frown on his face disappeared. "It- it's already late, specialist. Dismissed."

Rose blinked. What? One minute they were working, then this strange tea conversation … and now she's dismissed?

"Yes sir."

She grabbed her pad and strode out of the lab. On her way to the lift she glanced at her chronometer – it was already 01:04. She hadn't even noticed how long she had been working on the umbrella. Truth to be told it had been an interesting problem to solve.

The lift arrived and she stepped in. The question remained why Hux would bother with stuff like this … he was clearly a skilled engineer and knew what he was doing.

She had finally reached her quarters and went into the bathroom to brush her teeth. The other question was why he had ordered her to help him. Probably because she had fixed the energy output. And she had been there by happenstance. She spit out and rinsed her mouth with water.

She put her pyjama on and lay down in her bed. Considering all things she had gotten lucky – her anonymity was definitely blown. But all things considered she had found an in with General Hux himself. Perhaps she could show up in the lab again? After all she hadn't completed her assignment, right?


	6. Overclocked

The next evening she headed down to the WDD lab after dinner. As expected, Hux was bent over the holo again and raised his head in surprise as she entered. "Specialist Phan." He quickly straightened himself.

Rose noticed that his great coat had been thrown over a chair in the back, Hux' gloves lay next to him on the holo table. It seemed that he hadn't expected her.

"General," she said with a nod. She casually walked over to the workbench in the far corner of the room and put a couple of chips on it and began opening them up. In her experience fine-tuning a system was easier if she had the materials to look at.

She glanced at Hux, he was again working on the holo, turning his back to her. So far so good. She just had to play along until she something that was critical to the war effort.

The next couple of hours she focussed on checking each and every chip until she realised that none of them were built to project a shield weak enough to simply repel rain. She took the oldest and weakest and overclocked it a little.

She uploaded the specifics of the modified chip into the holo projection and stepped to the large holo table.

Hux was sipping at his tea and followed her with his eyes.

"I've got an idea," she said and activated the holo. The simulation began and she watched with suspension was the first raindrops started to fall. It had to work! Moments later the simulated rain started to pour down on the umbrella – it was still holding, the rain didn't evaporate either. She grinned smugly. She knew it – it was all a question of finding the right frequency!

"What- what did you do?" asked Hux and stepped next to her. "How did you fix it?"

"You used state of the art chips, but they were built for weapon-grade shields. I just used an old chip and tweaked it a little."

He stared at her, at first it almost seemed that the corner of his lips twitched. "You 'tweaked' old chips?"

Suddenly she remembered who she was talking to – a man who was reportedly paranoid and mad. A man that screamed and raged during his speeches against freedom itself. Damn. She shouldn't have come up with a solution of her own. She should've led him to the solution so that he wouldn't feel threatened by her.

She cleared her throat. "Pardon my colloquial words, general. Of course it was your design in the first place that-"

"There was a reason why I requested your assistance, specialist," he said quietly. "And it wasn't because I wanted to hear empty flattery."

She had expected him to get angry, or at least hold a speech how brilliant he was, but she hadn't expected him to look … disappointed.

"I-" he broke off. Several emotions passed over his usually impassive face, too fast for Rose to identify them. "I misspoke the other night. This is not an official assignment."

Rose was once more baffled by the unexpected development. "I don't understand."

"The correct phrase should've been in a more … voluntary manner." He blushed a little. "I … apologize for misuse my authority."

Rose just stood there, unable to comprehend what was transpiring. Had- had the infamous General Hux just apologized to her? What the- She had to pull herself together and navigate this awkward situation.

"Uh," she said. "I did know that this wasn't a strictly official matter. I mean, why would you care about umbrellas?"

He frowned. "It's not an umbrella, it's a highly sophisticated work tool."

By the stars! It was an umbrella, plain and simple! But that wasn't the point of course. "Alright, but still … it's not exactly something a general would care about."

"Apart from my other duties I also oversee the WDD. I used to be an engineer before I entered command." He crossed his arms. "These projects in here are only for … relaxation."

"I used to have an old speeder back home … it was a relic but I liked working on it nonetheless." She had even taken that speeder with her as she left for the resistance. But she hadn't had time to work on it.

"It's soothing to fix something, don't you think?" he said and reached for the tea he had put on the table.

Rose nodded. "Building and improving something is easier than other things."

"Building something isn't easy. Destruction is easy."

Rose's finger twitched. He would know all about that of course. Pictures of raided settlement on Hays Minor came into her mind. This was why she was here.

"What makes you say that?" It was a silly question of course, considering who she was talking to. But perhaps she could gather more intel.

"Every second-class engineer can build a weapon," he scoffed. "Some are more deadly than others, but the principle is always the same." He gestured towards the holo of the floating umbrella. "This on the other hand is more subtle, more challenging."

Rose got tense. This was it, he was almost talking about the weapons they were developing here. The next part was tricky … she couldn't ask directly about the top secret projects. "I wouldn't know about that. I have never worked on weapon systems. I only fixed blasters back home." And of course fighters and ion-cannons, but he didn't need to know that.

"You're from Hays Minor, aren't you?"

A shiver ran down her spine. He had looked at her file? "Yes, from the southern continent. My family works in the steel-mines … used to work in the steel-mines." She was unable to keep bitterness out of her voice.

He straightened his uniform jacket. "I'm sure you understand that the Order needed the resources. Hays Minor has a lot of treasures of the soils."

She could feel how she got angry. "Yes sir," she pressed out.

He narrowed his eyes. "You don't agree."

Of course he had seen through her – it had been brilliant to give her a cover that was so close to her real identity; she was indeed a terrible liar.

"The Order didn't just take minerals." She refrained from saying directly that they had kidnapped children for their Stormtrooper programme.

Hux looked surprised. "Ah," he cleared his throat. "I see."

She shot him a withering glare. Do you now? She asked in her mind.

"And still you joined the Order?"

"My family didn't like it … but they need to eat." She gulped. "The payment is decent and comes on time." She cast her eyes down.

He remained silent for a few short moments. "The- The Order strives for stability and order. Of course we would pay our workers on time."

She looked up and crossed her arms. As if this was an achievement after they had taken so much from people around the galaxy. She noticed that Hux looked oddly contrite; his lips were pressed to a thin line.

"What about you?" she asked quietly. "Did you join the Order out of you own volition?"

He turned and poured himself a new cup of tea. The smell reminded her of green tea. He moved slowly, it almost looked like he was playing for time.

"No," he said to her surprise. "I was born into it. My father designed the Stormtrooper programme, he was one of the founders of the Order."

She had of course heard about Brendol Hux. Interesting that Hux himself admitted that he hadn't chosen the Order. After the speech he had made she had expected him to give a more … propagandistic answer.

He blew on the tea and stared into the cup, he seemed to muse over something. This whole setting was strange. Here she was, a simple maintenance technician, having casual conversation with one of the most powerful commanders in the Order. What was more, the conversation seemed candid.

He had a sip of tea. Rabid cur they called him – so far she hadn't seen anything to justify this nickname. At least not here in the lab. He looked more like an overworked teacher with his slender frame and his gaunt face than a powerful general.

"Were you also in the Stormtrooper programme?" she asked.

He grimaced. "No."

Rose got the sense that she had asked the wrong question. He put the cup with the steaming tea down on the table and clasped his hands behind his back.

"Thank you for assisting me, specialist. Dismissed."

Again he was sending her away rather abruptly. So it had been the wrong question. She nodded and left.

.

-o-

.

He shouldn't have asked about Hays Minor. He poured himself another cup of tea and watched how the hot water turned brown as he dunked the tea egg into it.

Now she knew that he had looked at her file. Come to think of it – it was his prerogative to know all about her. Yes, it was certainly no problem that he had given away his interest in … her file.

What should worry him far more was her criticism for the Stormtrooper programme and her inability to understand the Orders need for resources.

Hux took the tea egg out of the water watched the small pieces of tea leaf residue swirl in the cup. Why had she asked if he had been in the programme? Had she really not known who his father had been?

A memory resurfaced. His father and Grand Admiral Rae Sloane sat in the living room of his father's house on Tattooine.

Hux himself was about nine years old, sitting on the couch, reading something on his pad … he couldn't quite remember.

'Your Stormtrooper programme is off to a good start,' said Sloane. She was wearing a white uniform, it was a stark contrast to her dark skin and her black hair, it made her look regal. Hux remembered that he had always thought that she looked striking, like a queen from one of his storybooks.

His father scoffed. He had been a large man with a reddish-grey hair, he wore his usual black uniform. His usually light skin was reddened from the Tattooinan sun.

'Of course it's off to a good start. I got good material to work with after all.'

'Then why are you so grumpy?'

'All day I get to see healthy, strong boys and girls – except when I get home.'

Hux remembered listening to the conversation and pretending to read his pad.

His father clapped his hands and Hux was so startled that he almost let his pad fall.

'Oi, get up boy and show yourself to the Grand Admiral!'

Hux did as he was told, looking down on the tips of his grey socks.

'Look at that! Straighten you shirt, boy. And stand properly.'

Again Hux did as he was told.

'Tch, weak as a slip of paper and just as useless.'

Sloane gave Hux a friendly smile. 'I hear your grades are very good, Armitage.' Then she turned to Brendol Hux. 'He doesn't need to be a hulking bear like you to be a good commander.'

'Of course not, but a commander still need a certain presence if he is to address his troops. Look at him, his weak chin and his soft lips.'

Hux put the cup of tea down. He wasn't in the mood to drink it anymore. The irony was not lost on him that even though he oversaw the Stormtrooper programme, he wouldn't have made the cut. Strange that Phan had assumed … well, she was a civilian.

That would explain why she didn't understand that the Stormtrooper programme was a privilege. They had taken children and had offered them a bright future in the Order, instead of suffer want on some mining planet they helped shaping the galaxy.

Specialist Phan had been one of the poor miners yet she didn't cherish the opportunity the Order presented her. He wondered how it was to live a life in chaos – where there was no higher purpose and no clear hierarchy.

Perhaps he was a little like the time when he had joined the Engineering corps on Arkanis? He had been stationed on a small outpost outside the city, tasked to keep the perimeter alarms and the lighting conductors.

His superior had been an elderly woman who was more interested in playing holo chess than supervising her small team. Left to his own devices Hux had checked the equipment and had taken long walks to the lightning rods.

It had been a quiet time, he could work on his own projects, set his own pace … until his father had called him to his side again. Sometimes he still dreamed about Arkanis and the tall trees, the relentless rain, the storms with lighting and thunder.

Silly. He shouldn't waste time by thinking about some backwater planet and the unimportant tasks he performed there. He had risen to power, he mattered. In a way Ren had been right: it was better to let the past die.


	7. Improving Droids

Back in her quarters she grabbed a cool beer from the fridge and sat down on her bed. She leaned against the wall and opened the can. She stared at the opposite wall. Were she to write a report for Poe about this day, she wouldn't know how to describe what had happened in the lab.

'Hux admitted that he liked to spend his time inventing everyday items because building weapons was too easy'? Or perhaps 'Hux doesn't seem insane'? Every time she thought she had understood the man he disproved her.

She took a big sip. The beer tasted good, she hadn't realised that she had been thirsty.

Her thoughts returned to Hux. A successful general, a skilled engineer who oversaw the WDD – one could think he should boast of his many accomplishments, arrogantly look down on people like her … get angry when she proved to be smarter than he.

Then why did he look tired and unjoyful? Spend his nights alone in a lab. And he had volunteered a lot of information about him. If she didn't know better she would've thought that he was lonely. But it couldn't be, could it?

Hux was supposed to be an obsessed fanatic, a droid with no human emotion. She emptied the bottle of beer with one last sip and wiped her mouth. It was of course easier if one could picture one's enemies as evil entities without a shred of humanity. But in the end they were all sentient beings.

She got up and threw the bottle in the trash chute. Then she undressed and went into the sonic shower.

Either way she had made progress. She just had to keep helping him with his projects – as talkative as he was he was bound to let something slip about the weapons programmes he was overseeing.

All she needed was time.

-o-

"Where were you yesterday?" asked Tarc.

Sarith slowly ate his stew and crooked an eyebrow. "She's sad that she couldn't con you out of your salary at Sabbacc."

Tarc chortled. "Can't blame a girl for trying to make a quid."

Rose pushed her tray with the leftovers of her dinner away. "I was busy – after all the over time I would've been in the mood for Sabbacc anyway."

"Busy you say? Who is the lucky gal or lad?" asked Tarc.

She could feel heat creeping up her cheeks. "It wasn't a date." Stars! Why was she blushing? The thought of her and Hux was so … she couldn't even think about it.

"Aha! So you were seeing somebody!"

"Contrary to what Tarc here thinks – you don't own us any explanation," said Sarith and side-eyed Tarc.

Knowing Tarc she wouldn't rest until she heard a bit of gossip. Rose exhaled. "Just a guy down in WDD. He was working on some project and I helped him finish it. And no, it wasn't like that – we just worked together for a bit."

Tarc leaned forward. "Was he at least good-looking?"

Rose scoffed. "Nope."

"Ugh, how boring!"

Sarith wiped his mouth with a napkin. "Not everything is about sex and entertainment, you know."

"Hey, I'm not that single-minded!"

They started to bicker and Rose relaxed; Tarc was distracted. Not that she blamed her – gossip was a huge part of their past-time after all.

She glanced at her chronometer. She would wait an hour and then go down to the WDD. She could of course skip an evening … but what was the point? She might as well show Hux that she was interested in working on other projects with him. Perhaps he would open up a little more today?

.

-o-

.

Captain Peavey cut the Bantha steak and skewered the meat with his fork. He stuck the juicy piece in his mouth and chewed it. His lips shone with the fat. His chewing apparatus moved sluggishly. It was hypnotic and disgusting at the same time. Hux averted his gaze and stared at the plate in front of him. He had a steak of the same size, taru grass salad and bogweed pasta.

Hux ate the salad and couldn't help but watch Peavey devour another piece of meat – he sat across from him at the monthly officer's dinner.

He looked back at his full plate and cut off a small piece of meat and stared at it. He didn't like rich food, there was something vulgar and nauseating about it. He shoved the steak in his mouth and began chewing; just when he was about to shallow it, he realised that he couldn't – it would most certainly get stuck in his throat, he just knew it.

Discreetly he used a napkin to wipe his mouth and spit the meat out. He folded the napkin and put it on his plate. He wouldn't fare better with the pasta so he might as well stop eating altogether.

He would eat a ration bar later.

"Don't you like steak, sir?" asked Peavey.

"I like it, captain, I'm just not particularly hungry." Hux reached for his wine glass. "The wine is exceptional."

Peavey nodded. "It is, sir. It's from Naboo – from the Queen's personal vineyard I hear. Why ever she would be in need of that … she's hardly old enough to drink alcohol."

"She was quite headstrong during our talks," Hux said. "Her age didn't show."

"Talks? There was nothing to talk about I thought. They just have to bow to the Order."

Hux nodded. "Of course. But the summit wasn't a military one – it was political, all we did was talking about the wording of the capitulation."

Peavey laughed shortly. "Sounds tedious."

Idiot. Peavey was a military man, he had no idea how to govern. "It's necessary. The Queen has to do our bidding unless she wants us to invade her planet. There is no need to undermine her authority, it's easier to control the planet if her people follow her lead."

"I see." But the look on Peavey's face clearly told another story.

Of course an old relic like Peavey would think that the Order had to conquer everything, crush the old government under the boots of Stormtroopers. He didn't understand that even with the vast resources of the Order they couldn't station soldiers everywhere. They needed the economic power of the conquered worlds, a full-scale invasion would seriously disrupt the flow of goods and the productivity.

Hux pushed his chair back and got up. All the officers at the table rose and saluted him as he strode out of the mess hall.

He felt uncomfortable, the taste of the meat remained on his tongue despite the wine. His father had dragged him from one doctor to another to see what was wrong with him, but no one had given him a satisfactory answer.

Hux himself didn't care. All he had to do was stick to simple, lean food, and he was fine. The ration bars took care of the vitamins and proteins.

When he arrived in his quarters, he picked up a new bag of tea leaves from a small chest of drawers. If he remembered correctly, his hiding place in the lab was almost exhausted. He also took a new cup of dark ceramic from the cupboard, and after a brief moment of hesitation he took a second.

He stared at the additional cup in his hand. Would she even show up? He hadn't told her to come back. Well, even if it was unlikely that she came back to the lab without direct order, it would be better to be prepared.

.

-o-

.

Hux stood at exactly the same place as the day before. If she didn't know better she would've thought he had never left the lab.

"General," she stopped at the entrance. "Do you have any other projects you need my assistance with?"

He cleared his throat. "Indeed, specialist."

She made her way to the holo table. He watched her, there was something in his gaze she hadn't noticed before. But she couldn't put her finger on what it was.

He pulled up a new blue print. "I thought about improving the memory capacity of the MSE-6 droids. They have to return to the docking station after six assignments – a waste of time of course."

"Alright mouse droids it is. Do you have an idea where to start?"

He started to explain how he wanted to update their TerraX-RAM capacity by inserting new modules into the droid. There wasn't enough space in the mouse droids to insert the modules so they had to come up with something to make space.

Rose was just taking a droid apart to see the practical layout when Hux addressed her.

"Tea?"

She blinked in surprise when she saw that there were two cups standing on the small table next to the workbench. So he had expected her to return?

"Yes please."

He put a tea egg in each of the mugs and poured hot water over them. "We have to wait exactly two minutes before …," he broke off.

The smell was different from the green tea he drank the other day. It smelled more like Balmorran Yasmin tea, the kind her uncle had used to drink.

They waited in silence until Hux pulled the tea eggs out and handed her a cup. She blew on the hot beverage and took a sip. It didn't taste bad.

"I admit it's better than most teas that I've tasted, but I'm afraid that I'm still a caf person."

He also drank his tea. "Hm, it's a new blend. It's adequate but I prefer Tarine tea."

"You don't happen to have sweetener?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Of course." He went to the work desk and pulled a small bowl with sugar cubes out of a small drawer.

"It that real sugar?" she asked in awe and took two cubes.

"It is."

She stirred her tea until the sugar had dissolved and took a gentle sip. The sweetness was somehow fuller than the artificial sweeteners she was used to. The tea tasted much better with real sugar. "Well, with this I could get used to tea." She smiled a little and drank more of it.

The tips of his ears turned pink. "I told you, tea is superior to caf."

"It still doesn't beat a freshly made cup of caf though," she added.

He sighed. "I don't agree."

"I appreciate it – the tea I mean."

He smiled a little. Seeming Hux smile was so unexpected that Rose almost flinched. It was uncanny, Hux looked different when he smiled. It made him look younger, unburdened.

"You're welcome. I-I had to educate you on tea after all."

They returned to work, working silently next to each other.


	8. Power Cells

Rose visited him the next couple of evenings. They were still working on the mouse droid. Hux was right, it was relaxing to work on something without time pressure, without deadline. From time to time they would take a break and drink tea.

She had brought cookies from her personal stash – once a month they were available on commissary, of course completely overpriced, but Rose thought that the honey-caramel taste was absolutely worth it.

Hux smelled the cookie carefully before he nibbled on it.

"I'm not trying to poison you, you know."

"Maybe, but I'm not used to these … sugary pastries."

No wonder he was so skinny, she thought. "And if you don't like them … no problem. I will eat all of them."

He ate the cookie but judging from his face he didn't particularly enjoy it. He drank some tea quickly. "It's beyond me how you can eat something so sweet."

"Cookies help me think, they give me the strength and energy to look yet again at the power cells of a certain droid."

"I think nuts and dried fruits would work better."

She shoved another cookie in her mouth. "Maybe, but they don't taste as good. I'm not as bad as my sister though – she's the real sweet tooth in the family."

The half-smile he sometimes showed faded and he looked into his mug as if there was something interesting in there. She had noticed that he used to react this way every time she mentioned her family – or rather the version of them she thought was safe to talk about.

"One day I'll have to bring you some Wagashi – their sweetness would be a nice contrast to the bitter tea you like," she continued, "especially the ones with sweet bean paste in them."

The barely existent smile returned to his lips and he leaned back in the swivel chair he was sitting in. "What about scones?"

She waved off. "Scones are boring."

"Scones are great!"

"Nope."

He laughed. It was a bright, unexpected sound and it caught Rose off guard. Again it was striking how different he looked – years younger and in a weird way healthy. Nice, she though, he looked nice. A strand of his reddish hair fell in his face. "You're incredibly stubborn, you know that, right?" He brushed the strand of hair back.

She grinned at him. "That's a little like a pot calling a kettle black, isn't it?"

"Perhaps."

They returned to work until Rose felt tired.

"I guess I'm calling it a day."

Hux looked up from his pad. He could barely suppress a yawn. "Alright."

"See you tomorrow?"

"I'm away, but I'll be back the day after."

To her surprise she felt slightly disappointed. "Oh, well, see you later."

He didn't dismiss her she noticed as she turned to leave. Come to think of it, he hadn't dismissed her the day before either. They had become quite informal but she only now registered how informal they spoke to each other … on the other hand she hadn't bothered to be overly formal in the first place.

-o-

Her clicks of her boot heels were the only sound as she walked through the empty hallways. The way from his lab to her quarters had become quite familiar.

She remembered the alleged bet on Hux's smile. If they knew … at first it had been strange, but after a while she got used to the friendly half-smile he displayed when he talked to her. His personality still confounded her – if she didn't know better she would think that he's an agreeable conversationalist and co-worker.

She stepped into the turbo lift and nodded at the Stormtrooper standing in it. He nodded courtly back. She pressed the button to her deck.

She had actually been disappointed when she heard that he was away. When had she started to actually enjoy going to the lab? She couldn't remember … it had just crept up on her.

The lift halted and she left. Should she be worried? No, it was an advantage – she wasn't a good liar. If she actually liked working on Hux' projects she appeared more sincere. The fact that he was pretty relaxed around her was also a huge advantage.

She punched the code in and entered her room. She was making good progress, better even than she had thought possible after she had lost her anonymity. She just had to stay patient and play her hand right.

-o-

"You're a horrible Sabbacc player," said Sarith with a sight and he scooped up the credit sticks on the table.

Rose shrugged. "I'm getting better."

He smiled. "A little perhaps, but you're always too aggressive. Don't try to win so hard."

"Isn't that the point of playing?"

"Of course it is, but sometimes you need to take a detour to get to your goal."

Tarc sat down at their table and banged her beer on it. "Stay away from the new guy! He looks harmless, but he's a devious player."

"I take it you lost?" asked Sarith with a wicked grin.

Tarc stuck out her tongue.

"I'm getting something to drink – since I'm feeling generous … what do you want Rose?" said Sarith and stood up.

"Something strong – after checking the sewer system today I've earned it," replied Rose and rubbed her temple.

Sarith left for the bar. Tarc nudged Rose. "Surprised to see you, Phan. Has your technician soured on you?"

Damn, Rose had hoped that she had forgotten about it. "No, but I wanted to take a break," she lied and tried to sound casual. "It's fun to work on stuff without a superior breathing down my neck, but I also need to hone my card playing skills."

"They need honing, that much is true."

Rose threw her hands in the air. "Stop saying that, I'm not so bad."

Tarc barked a laugh. "No, they're not. But you're too nice to be a good player."

"I'm not!"

"That's nothing bad – I like it. You don't have a mean bone in your body, that's a rare thing around here."

Before she could contradict her, Sarith appeared with two glasses of Tarisian whiskey.

"Cheers," he said and they clinked their glasses. Tarc lifted her beer bottle in the air.

He sat down. "The one with curly hair told me to say hi to you, Tarc."

Her eyes went wide. "Really? Who?" She craned her neck to get a good look at the bar.

"The man in the far right corner, curly hair, can't miss him."

Rose was curious too and was slightly impressed when she saw how handsome said man was. "How do you manage to impress them all so much?"

Tarc clacked with her tongue. "It's easy, really. I just-."

"Didn't we agree that we stopped talking about sex?" said Sarith.

"What? She asked me, okay."

Rose chuckled. Sarith and Tarc were nice. They had really grown on her.

Tarc got up. "See you."

She made her way to the man at the bar. Rose followed her with her eyes. She shifted in her seat. It had been quite a while since she last had sex …

"How are you holding up?" asked Sarith.

Rose snapped her head back and looked at him. "What do you mean?"

"I don't know about you but when I started here … I got homesick after a couple of months."

She sighed. "Well, I miss my family." She wondered what Paige was up do. She reached for her medallion but of course it wasn't there. "But I'm doing fine all things considered. At least I can send them money." And hopefully soon a report on the Orders new weapon.

"You look tired."

She stretched until her joints clicked. "I am. I guess all the work is catching up to me."

"I get it – there isn't much to do besides work. Stars! Sometimes I think I'm going stir-crazy."

"How long until your next shore leave?"

"Two months. You?"

"Three months." It was all already planned, she would travel to Hays Minor where she would meet up with Poe and report her progress.

"Just take care that you don't burn out until then." He had a worried expression on his face. "I have seen it happen."

"Don't worry."

.

-o-

.

The _Finalizer_ was a huge ship, but it wasn't as gigantic as the _Supremacy_, Hux thought as he marvelled at the interior as he and Kylo Ren marched through the long hallway to Snoke's audience chamber. The black floor was so polished that he could see his own reflection. The walls were decorated with red banners, there was a guard of honour every ten metres. He wondered how they had solved the energy problem of such a huge ship. Perhaps he could study the blueprint on occasion …

The walls up to the audience chamber were covered in dark red First Order banners. The red-clad Imperial Guards stood unmoving next to the large doors that swung open as they approached them.

Hux shuddered a little as soon as he crossed the threshold. The air was cold, but luckily he was wearing his thick over coat. It wasn't the cold that made him tremble, there was something in the air – as if the air was too thin to breathe. He had a hard time breathing. The strong smell of incense didn't help either.

Ren walked next to him, breathing through his mask. Was this air the reason why he wore that damn thing? Hux focussed on the way before him and stopped as they had reached Snoke's throne.

Snoke wore a robe with golden embroidery; Hux couldn't remember seeing him in other clothes than that robe. Come to think of it … It had been quite some time since he had last seen him in person.

He had almost forgotten how long Snoke's fingers were, how mismatched her face looked in the flesh. How piercing his striking blue eyes were. How his neck was too long and too thin for a human.

"General, apprentice – how good of you to come to me on short notice."

"Of course, Supreme Leader, we serve at your pleasure," said Hux smoothly.

Ren remained silent.

"I have had a vision of great importance. There will be an awakening in the Force. We must be ready."

"Did you sense Skywalker, master?" asked Ren.

Snoke chuckled, it reminded Hux of a stuttering ion engine. Something between a cough and a laughter. "Your single-mindedness amuses me, apprentice. No, I did not sense Skywalker. But he'll without doubt resurface soon enough."

So they were still looking for the fabled Jedi master? Hux failed to see the point of hunting down a single man. One lone man couldn't stop the Order however powerful he was.

Snoke grinned, his crooked teeth became visible. "Did you retrieve his lightsaber?"

Ren breathed heavily before he answered. "No, master. It wasn't on Tattooine, the ruin on Dagobath-"

With a single gesture of his right hand he forced Ren on his knees. Judging from the wheezing sounds coming from him Ren was in pain.

"Didn't I tell you to deliver the lightsaber to me?"

"Yes master," croaked Ren.

Hux felt how he blanched; Snoke had summoned them to hand out punishments. He had wondered why they had to report to the _Supremacy_ in the first place.

He had no idea that Ren had been tasked to procure Skywalkers lightsaber but it certainly explained his absences from the _Finalizer_. He took no pleasure in Ren's suffering, knowing that he would be next.

"I'm displeased," growled Snoke. "Very displeased."

"Yes master."

Snoke lowered his hand and Ren let out a sound of relief as fell on the floor. He quickly staggered on his feet, breathing even heavier than before.

"How is the progress on the Starkiller project, general?" asked Snoke in a low voice.

Hux steadied himself. "We're still working on a solution, Supreme Leader. As already reported we're still in the time table."

Snoke gestured again and an invisible force threw Hux face-down on the floor. It happened so fast that he didn't have time to cushion his fall with his arms. He felt a sharp pain from his lips, and a dull one from his jaw.

He was dizzy when he propped himself up; the coppery taste of blood was in his mouth. A few drops fell on the floor before him. His left incisor felt strange.

Suddenly he remembered a meaty hand holding a black leather belt with a silver buckle. He suppressed the memory and focussed on the present.

"How disappointing," said Snoke.

Hux felt anger boiling up in his chest. They were still in the time table, so far everything was going according to plan and still the Supreme Leader saw fit to punish him? Just for good measure?

"I feel your anger, general. I'm honestly surprised – you shouldn't be biting the hand feeding you."

Hux grimaced before he managed to arrange his face into a neutral expression. "Starkiller will be finished, Supreme Leader, I'll see to it."

Snoke did certainly register that he didn't promise him that it would be finished on time; but he didn't seem to care.

"See that you do, and I'll reward you handsomely … _Grand Marshall_."

First he punished him and now he promised him rewards? Did Snoke think that the stick and the carrot were the only means to lead people? He was as old-fashioned as Peavey, Hux noted with discomfort. "Thank you, Supreme Leader," he said because nothing else came to mind.

"Leave, both of you."

They bowed and left.


	9. Electricity

The next day was quite slow, Rose felt even more tired but she had to admit that she was looking forward to the evening. Apart from being a prime opportunity to gather intel, the work on Hux' little project was actually stimulating compared to the menial tasks she had to perform during daytime.

"Evening," she said when she entered the lab.

Hux was pouring himself a tea, he nodded at her. "Evening."

She noticed that he looked even wearier than usual, there were dark circles around his eyes and his hair was a little mussed up. He seemed to notice her gaze; he stroked through his hair. She also noticed that his lower lip was split; there was an angry red line on his mouth.

Should she comment on his appearance? She wanted to, but she wasn't sure if it was appropriate. She hesitated for a moment, then she decided to follow her gut. "Are you alright?"

He continued to pour the hot water in his mug without looking up. "I am," he said after a while, "it's nothing."

There had been no fighting as far as she knew. Who would've dared to strike a powerful man like Hux? There were only two people she could think of – Kylo Ren and Snoke himself.

Was Hux in trouble? She cleared her throat. "Back on Hay Minor I used to carry an electro-shock prod with me, just in case … it came in handy from time to time. Say the word and I will zap this 'nothing'."

.

-o-

.

Hux stared at her, she looked determined. Suddenly he had little doubt that she would follow through – the thought of her sneaking up behind Snoke and shocking him with a little device was so preposterous that that he started to laugh.

"Hey, I may not look like it but I'm a nasty fighter! Plus I'm so short that people hardly ever notice me." She put her hands on her hips.

He handed her a cup of tea. Her fingers brushed his as she took the cup. The touch gave him goose bumps. He could feel heat crawling up his cheeks. She didn't seem to notice the effect she was having on him; she just smiled at him and started blowing into the hot tea.

A strand of her non-regulatory hair fell over her face, she looked absolutely striking, soft, warm – even in the harsh light of the lab she … No. He wasn't supposed to think that way. He gulped … he wasn't supposed to notice how pretty she was. No, no he had to pull himself together. He was just exhausted. The events on the _Supremacy_ had taken their toll.

She suppressed a yawn.

"You're tired," he said.

"Just a little."

"You know you don't have to work with me every evening." Come to think of it, why was she with him? "I meant it when I said that this isn't an official assignment."

She tucked the strand of hair behind her ear. The gesture was mesmerizing. She looked him straight in the eye. Her brown eyes reminded him of dark honey… He averted his gaze and pretended to check the hot water.

"I know, but I like working on these projects. You were right, it's relaxing to work on them and to be honest … they're much more interesting than my daily work," she said.

Of course she was here because of the work. It made sense. That was the reason he had invited her to the lab in the first place. He felt somehow disappointed. What had he expected? That she liked spending time with him? He was embarrassed by his own thoughts. Silly. Weak.

He felt uneasy. "Perhaps we both should take a break tonight."

He could hear her exhale and looked up. She leaned against the holo table with her arms crossed. "Never thought that you would ever take a break. Are you sure that you're alright?"

She sounded sincere, as if- as if she really cared. He was tempted to tell her but he pulled himself together. He was only imagining things. Phan was bound to have an ulterior motive for her concern – perhaps she was hoping that he would advance her. A perfectly legitimate motive to be sure, he couldn't hold it against her.

By the stars, he really was exhausted. Perhaps a shower would help? He licked his lips. "I'm fine."

.

-o-

.

Rose frowned a little. For a stoic man he was a terrible liar. Whatever had happened to him had shook him to his very core. And the way he stared at her now … as if he had seen a ghost. He looked strangely vulnerable.

It was unsettling seeing the infamous General Hux's human side. He wasn't supposed to look so unhappy and ill – he should stand in his lab, crackling with evil laughter like a maniac while working on a death ray. But instead he spends his free time inventing floating umbrellas and trying to improve mouse droids.

What now? What was she supposed to do? Drink tea? Hm, might as well play cards with him. Wait … why not?

"How about a round of Sabbacc?" she asked while trying to sound casual.

He blinked and ran his hand again through his hair. Finally he nodded.

"Alright, I'll go get the cards from my room," she said.

Hux gave her a weak smile. "I'll go get some more tea."

Rose hurried out of the lab to the turbo lift.

About ten minutes later she arrived at her quarters. She quickly grabbed a deck of cards from a drawer and was about to leave when her sight fell to the small freezer next to her bunk. She squatted down and opened it – there were two strong beers left.

Yes, that was better than another cup of tea. She grabbed the cans and headed back to the lab.

When she arrived she noticed that Hux was gone – had he changed his mind?

She strode into the lab and put the cans and the deck on the workbench. Suddenly she felt silly. What was she thinking? Nothing apparently when she had invited Hux to play a card game, even less when she had thought it a good idea to bring beer.

She heard the door behind her slide open and turned; she gaped when Hux entered – his hair was moist and he had apparently changed into a new uniform. He held a bag of tea in his right hand and stopped in his tracks when he noticed the beer.

"I thought beer goes better with a card game," she said and hoped that she sounded casual.

He went to the workbench and took one in his hand to read the label. "It has been quite some time since I drank beer."

"Well, it was just an idea, we can stick to tea if you like it better."

He glanced at her, there was something in his gaze … as if he was really looking at her. "No, beer is fine."

They sat down on the swivel chairs, Hux cracked the beer open while Rose shuffled the cards. She dealt the cards.

"It's an old deck, no holo imprints on it."

He grabbed the cards from the table and started to sort through them. "It's fine."

She did the same with her cards. Well, she had dealt herself a rather crappy hand. She opened her beer can and took a gulp.

They played two rounds; Hux won the first and Rose won the second. She shuffled the cards again and watched him empty his can.

"I gotta say I thought this was going to be a breeze," she said as she dealt the cards. "But you're a good player."

"I was stationed on Arkanis ages ago. There wasn't much to do besides repairing tech and playing cards."

"That doesn't sound like a career track."

He picked up his cards. "It wasn't. But it-" He broke off. "It was a long time ago."

Rose sensed that it was futile to ask further. But it was strange … how had Hux managed to become one of the leaders of the Order? Sure, he was obviously intelligent, but she was quite certain that there was ruthlessness needed to rise to his station.

But he didn't seem ruthless to her. She peeked over her cards. His hair had dried, there was no product in it – it was a bright ginger colour. Without his slicked back hair he looked different. Less haggard and driven. Nice … he looked nice.

He played the first card. "Where did you learn to play?"

"My cousins. We had these huge family gatherings every two weeks. My grandmother loved Sabbacc, sometimes she played with us."

He pressed his lips into a thin line. As always he tensed up when she spoke of her family. She acted as if she hadn't seen his reaction.

"She was a terrible loser, she always tried to cheat when she was losing."

"I hope you didn't inherit that from her."

"Don't worry, I only inherited her pig-headedness." She slapped her card on his and took both of them. Perhaps she should dig deeper … she was curious about Hux. "What about your family?"

After a few moments of silence, he finally answered. "It was only my father and me."

"You don't sound thrilled."

"We didn't get along. I'm honestly surprised that you don't know about him – he was quite the prominent figure in the Order." There was an edge in his voice.

"To be candid – I know about him. But sometimes it's hard to distinguish the rumour from actual fact. So I figured I shouldn't act as if really knew him … or you."

She put a card on the table, he scanned his cards with his eyes. "I wasn't aware that I was unknown in the Order." He carefully laid a card and scooped up both cards.

"Come on, that's not what I meant. You know that you're different here than when you're on duty."

He laid another card down. "If you refer to the rumours about me … I agree."

"I'm surprised that you heard about-"

"I get regular reports from Internal Security."

Rose blinked and stared at her cards without seeing them. She was really naïve … of course the Order would have extensive surveillance. She thought about Tarc, she really should be more careful when she ranted about the Order. "It doesn't seem to bother you."

"Why should it? People always talk. And subordinates always gossip about their superiors. It's useful to gauge the mood of the troops. Unless they're talking about treason of course – it's your turn."

"Oh, right." She slapped a card on the table and watched him take the cards. She finished her beer; she felt a little lightheaded, warm- pleasant. She was in the mood for another beer.

Hux looked at her, she noticed that his blue eyes had a hint of green in them. He played a card. He looked very relaxed. He kept surprising her … he wasn't a megalomaniac and he wasn't bothered about rumours … just who was he? It didn't feel as if he was pretending, everything he said seemed oddly genuine.

She liked coming here, liked working on his projects … this wasn't how this was supposed to be. He wasn't supposed to be … pleasant. And she wasn't supposed to notice the hint of green in his eyes; or the fascinating colour of his hair. She-

"Are you tired of playing?"

His question caught her off guard and she realised that she hadn't played her card yet. "Perhaps a little, I'm losing anyway."

He folded his cards. "There is something I want to show you …" he seemed oddly hesitant. "I think it's of interest to you."

"Alright!" Her curiosity was piqued.

Hux got up and threw his great coat over his shoulders. The tips of his ears had a pink colour when he turned to face her.

They headed out of the lab into the turbo lift. Minutes later they arrived on deck 52, it was dimly lit and empty except for a few crates.

Hux stepped next to one of the crates and pulled the lid off. Rose stood on her toes to peek inside it, she gasped when she saw a twin-ion engine. She had only heard about them, never would she have thought that she would ever lay eyes on one of these chrome beauties.

"They're prototypes," said Hux. "Directly from the Corellian shipyards."

"They must cost a fortune!" Rose let her hand glide over the cool metal. Perhaps she could even take a peek inside? She wondered what kind of injectors they had used.

"Indeed. That's why there are only two of them – they're for- for Snoke's apprentice."

"He's a lucky guy." She saw their distorted reflection on the chrome-clad engine. Hux wasn't looking at the engine but at her. Had she said something suspicious? She looked at him and cleared her throat. "I guess we can't open them to have a look inside?"

"I'm afraid not, they're sealed."

"Pity. But thanks for showing me."

He shrugged. "It's- it's nothing special – I thought you might appreciate their design."

She looked one last time at the engines before Hux closed the crate again. In a better galaxy she would've loved to try to get her hands on something like that for Paige.

Hux turned to face her. "Let's head back."

He seemed tired again. He tried to slick his hair back but without product the strands of hair just fell back into his face. He looked strangely soft and for a short moment Rose wondered if his hair was soft too. She blushed at the thought.

"Eh, have you ever built an engine like this?" she asked to distract herself.

They walked towards the lift.

"No, I haven't. Propulsion systems aren't my main interest. They're too … straightforward."

Rose laughed. "I should've guessed, you like more the arduous kind of tech." Come to think of it, propulsion didn't suit him … she didn't know why she thought that.

He stepped into the lift, his finger hovered over the panel. He seemed lost in thought. Then he straightened himself. "Do you like Corellian whiskey?"

She blinked, slightly confused by the change in topic. "Sure."

"I got a bottle stashed away in-"

"I like where this is heading!" she said. The thought of having a nightcap sounded great. It had been a strange evening, and the warm buzz she had gotten from the beer was slowly disappearing.

He laughed, it was a short and nervous sound. He pushed the lift buttons and the door slid shut. An awkward silence stretched out between them.

"It is nice to take a break," offered Rose.

"It is … but it's hardly efficient."

The lift arrived and they stepped out, only after a few steps Rose realized that she was on a deck she didn't know. This wasn't the WDD, it had the same dark floor like the rest of the ship, but there were First Order insignia on the walls – while all other walls were covered in scant metallic plates.

Hux took the lead and she followed him slowly; he stopped before a door and used a retinal scanner. With a soft hiss the door slid open, revealing a vestibule. Wait a moment, where were they? Was this his office? No, not an office …

He stepped aside and waited for her to enter.

She stepped inside and scanned the surroundings. The vestibule lead to a large room with a long table made out of dark wood. There were four matching chairs around it, it looked unused. In the back was a dark green couch with a low table in front of it. All over the very tidy room were shelves with holo plants and what looked like old data pads. This wasn't an office, they were in Hux' living quarters.

She could feel a knot forming in her stomach. She had missed something – why in the galaxy would he invite her here? She had obviously misread the situation. He hadn't invited her for a simply nightcap.

If he sensed her hesitation he didn't show it. Hux put his over coat on a hallstand in the vestibule and headed into the large room. He disappeared into another room, she could hear glass clinging and a few moments later he emerged with two glasses and a bottle of whiskey.

She took a deep breath. There was no need to get nervous, she was making good progress. She was probably reading too much in it … why should he be interested in her? He just liked to work with her. Yes. He obviously trusted her. Yes, that must be it. He trusted her and thus he has invited her for a nightcap. Nothing more.

With newly found self-confidence she went on the couch and sat down. She watched him pour two drinks from what she assumed was high-quality whiskey.

They clinked the glasses and she took a sip. The taste was deeper than every other whiskey she had ever tried, there was an interesting aftertaste to it which she didn't recognize.

"I'm told it's the oak that leaves the taste," he said as if he had read her mind.

"Real oak? It was in real oak barrels? That's really the good stuff."

He took another sip. "It was given to me. I assume the whiskey is rather expensive."

She took the bottle and studied the etiquette. "Hm, it's about 30 years old." It was truly an excellent whiskey. "I bet it's more expensive than all my birthday gifts put together."

He leaned back. "It wasn't a personal gift. It was an attempt to bribe me."

She crooked her eyebrow. "They didn't know you that well, right?"

He was visibly surprised, then he laughed. It was a bright, cheerful laugh. She couldn't help but smile.

"No, I guess not. But I still kept the whiskey." He emptied his glass, she followed his example. He refilled.

Again she couldn't help but wonder how his hair would feel, she imagined it was warm and soft. She felt herself blush and took another sip. She was a little hot. What was the matter with her?

She was slightly drunk, that was the matter with her. She stared at the glass, she should stop drinking this stuff – keep her cool. She couldn't afford to be drunk.

"Does that happen often? That people try to bribe you?" she asked. Good, she had to keep him talking.

"When I got promoted to general, yes. Now not so much." He paused. "I don't hold it against them … it's just how the galaxy works."

What an odd thing to say. Again she was surprised that he wouldn't see bribery as an insult, rant about his integrity. "Hm, I think I would be pissed."

The surprised look on his face made her laugh.

"I mean … they insinuate that you're corrupt. Doesn't that bother you?"

He leaned back and took a sip of whiskey. "No, that only means that they underestimate me."

She let sink that in. Was she underestimating him too? Was he manipulating her right now? No … that would be too farfetched. And besides … what would be the point for him?

Come to think of it – what exactly were they doing here? Having a drink together and then what? No, he couldn't be interested in her … not really. But why else had he invited her to his quarters? The knot in her stomach seemed to tighten. The only explanation was that he wanted to have sex with her.

Her basic, very basic spy training hadn't covered this … What was she supposed to do? Should she just do it? Poe would of course, he probably wouldn't even think twice about it. It was a golden opportunity after all.

Golden opportunity … she gulped. She could feel her heartbeat accelerating. She would smell his hair, run her hand through it... find out if it was really soft and if it smelled like autumn, as she imagined. His hands on her thighs, his soft-looking lips on hers …


	10. Wrong Circuitry

He felt nervous. It was strange … having her in his quarters. He had crossed a line. It had been his idea of course, inviting her over. She had gone along, even though she had tensed up a little when she had entered.

He didn't know why he had done it, it had been a spur of the moment thing. They had stood in the lift, she was standing close to him – he could practically sense her warmth. He given in … had invited her …

She wanted to advance, that's why she bothered to show up in the lab. And he had taken advantage of that. He wouldn't help her with her career but she didn't know that. Up until now it had been harmless. He had enjoyed her company that was all. But now-

'One of the perks of the job, boy.'

He cleared his throat. "It's- it's getting late."

She shifted on the couch. "I don't mind." She put the whiskey down on the table and got up.

He followed her movements with his eyes, feeling his breath quicken.

She came closer and put her hand tenderly on his cheek. The warmth was so unexpected that he twitched. He jumped up and took a step back, almost stumbling over the sofa. "Please don't," he said.

She pulled her hand back, a surprised look on her face.

"I knew that you're doing this for your family … I- I shouldn't have invited to-" he broke off. "I won't advance you. I'm sorry."

She just stared at him.

He averted his gaze. "It's already late."

A moment of silence, then she replied. "Yes, it's already late."

He looked up, she was still standing in front of him, her pretty face framed by black curls, her pink lips parted … By the stars, she was indeed striking. For a split second he regretted- no, it wasn't right.

"Good night," he said awkwardly.

She blushed. "Good night."

Moments later she was gone. He stared at her glass on the table. It had been a mistake to get involved with her. He let himself fall back on the chair. Despite everything he still hadn't learned. Silly. Weak.

.

-o-

.

Rose rushed to the lift. She pushed several times on the call button. What had she been thinking? She pushed again a little harder. This wasn't supposed to happen, why by the seven gates of chaos had she been attracted to him? Some spy she turned out to be!

When was this kriffing lift coming? She pushed the button again. Seconds later the doors opened and she rushed inside. She mashed the down button and pressed her forehead against the cool steel in the back of the lift. She was still aroused, damn it.

Why hadn't he just played along? After all the effort he had gone through to get her into his quarters, after the expensive whiskey he had wasted on her – why was he so kriffing complicated? For once she had thought she knew what he would do next.

The lift door opened again on her deck and she marched towards her quarters in the far end of the corridor. She slowed her step before she stood before her door in an attempt to calm down. It was in vain. Kriff. She had liked the feeling of his clean shaved cheek on her hand a little too much.

She punched the code in and kicked her boots from her feet while she hastily undressed herself.

She rushed in the shower and closed her eyes as the sonic waves washed over her. What would she give for a holo-call to Paige – or Poe? She buried her face in her hands and exhaled. She had to calm down, she was just a little drunk. Drunk and horny.

She stepped out of the shower and started to brush her teeth. She had to calm down. The important thing was the mission, that's why she was here. Everything else was secondary. Hux was still her best shot to get intel.

She stared at her reflection. And he liked her … he didn't want to take advantage of her. He had sent her away because he thought that she was only doing it to get a promotion. She felt a small stab in her heart. He- he wasn't supposed to be like that.

But no matter how long she mused about it … he like her and she liked him too. Kriff! She liked him too. She spit the toothpaste out and rinsed her mouth.

It was a mess – but one she could still salvage. She just had to keep her cool and keep her priorities straight. That and she needed to schlick off. Damn.

-o-

The next day was filled with boring routine work, Rose used the time to think how to best approach Hux in the lab. She played through a lot of conversations, ranging from him being hostile and sending her away to him welcoming her warmly back into the lab, handing her a steaming cup of tea.

Finally she stood before the door leading to the lab, rubbing her hand against the fabric of her trousers. This was it, all she had to do was go in say 'good evening' or something like that and play it by the ear. She straightened herself and walked in, as soon as the door slid open all her carefully prepared sentences vanished from her mind. Hux was bent over the holo as always, looking up in utter surprise, gaping at her.

A thousand thoughts rumbled through her head, she opened her mouth and closed it without saying anything.

Finally she set her sights on the holo, it showed the circuitry of a mouse droid. She had to say something, anything … Then she just said what first entered her mind. "The circuitry is set up wrong."

His eyes darted to the holo. "What? No, it's not!"

"It might not look like it but there will be interference from the B-module once the droid is getting more than three signals from the main frame at the same time."

"That's preposterous!" The words were harsh, but his tone was soft. They looked at each other, she could see that the tips of his ears turned pink. She could feel heat crawling up her cheeks.

She didn't know what else to do, so she walked to the workbench and continued her work where she had left off. Hux focussed again on the circuitry and seemed to check the B-module. Rose allowed herself a tiny smile – will you look at that! That was smooth! They would simply act as if last night hadn't happened; easy.

.

-o-

.

Seeing her back in the lab was surreal, Hux thought as he glanced over the holo to her. Despite everything she was back with him. How strange. Was she still hoping he would advance her? No … there had to be another reason. Perhaps it was her genuine love for the tech? Yes, that seemed logical. It was an interesting project after all.

He checked the module on the mouse droid. Even before he ran the numbers he had known that she was right. She usually was. He set his sights again on her. What a brilliant mind she had … and the way she pressed her lips together when she was focussing … he looked away and focussed again on the module.

He was a good engineer, and yet he hadn't seen that the circuit had been wrong. In theory it should work but he lost himself in the theory … it was the same with Starkiller. In theory the energy dampeners should work … and yet they didn't. He was missing something.

He zoomed out of the schematics. He was missing the bigger picture … he was trying to cram more technology into the mouse droid instead of calculating what kind of droid could carry the necessary tech. Yes, just the way he had tried to simply increase the energy output … focussed on the result instead of the network he was dealing with …

His eyes went wide. The problem with the Starkiller project weren't the dampeners! It was the scale of the weapon! He had assumed that it had to be the same size like the Deathstar and worked under the very assumption! But when he just focussed on the scale needed for the energy … he needed to think bigger! He didn't need a moon … he needed a planet!

"I think we're working under the wrong assumption," he said.

Rose looked up. "What do you mean?"

He changed the specifics of the mouse droid, made it larger. "We just need to build it slightly larger. It will still fit through the droid hatches …"

"… hm, it will need more energy to move," she continued. "But that's not an issue because we'll save an extra tour after the assignments! That's great!"

He smiled at her, yes … the gleam in her eyes as she returned his gaze was unmistakable – her love for the tech had brought her back.

-o-

That night Hux worked late. He checked and rechecked his calculations, just before his shift began he compiled a report for the chief engineers responsible for Starkiller. After he had sent the message he leaned back in his chair.

He was fairly certain that he had solved the only hiccup for the projects … or at least the only hiccup he was aware of. He knew from experience that sooner or later new problems could turn up. He pulled the Starkiller schematics up. A weapon to change the course of galactic history … and he was the one who had designed it. There had been others that had helped to build it, countless workers and soldiers that had contributed … and Rose, Rose had helped of course. But it was still his. His legacy.

An odd feeling of pride overcame him. He would help to shape the new order of the galaxy, stand beside the Supreme Leader as the architect of his victory. Not mystical forces but technology would deliver the galaxy from chaos.


	11. Error Code 409

The next couple of weeks were quite busy for Rose – to her surprise she realised that she was soon due for her vacation on Hays Minor. Finally she could report to the Resistance what she was doing … sadly she hadn't been able to get Hux talking about the top secret projects.

They had returned to their comfortable, slightly weird partnership. Sometimes she caught herself looking at him, the rare occasions where they touched each other when handing each other pads or cups with tea or caf made her feel funny, as if she had touched a live current. Sometimes she caught him staring at her.

Tarc was as noisy as always. "You missed Sabacc again! I sure hope he's at least good in the sack!"

"Will you give it a rest? Not every relationship is about sex," sighed Sarith as he ate his breakfast oatmeal.

"He's right, you know," added Rose.

"Pfff, you're both so boring. You could at least tell me which one it is."

Rose crooked her eyebrow. "Are you so desperate for gossip?"

"Yes! Come on, give me something," whined Tarc.

"Well … I'll soon visit my family. I'll keep you posted on my uncle's dating disasters." Rose emptied her caf mug.

Tarc beamed at her. "Yes please! And remember to get all the details!"

Rose chuckled. "Will do."

-o-

"You seem quieter than usual," remarked Hux.

Rose looked up from the prototype duct cleaner she was working on. She rubbed her temple. "My vacation is coming up. It feels like an eternity since I last spoke to my family."

"I'm certain they appreciate the payments you sent them."

"Perhaps," she thought again at the lack of her progress. Then she thought about Paige – would she be able to come the Hays Minor?

"Tea?"

She nodded and he prepared the tea eggs.

"I hope my sister will show up. We had quite the disagreement before I left."

He poured hot water in the mugs. He looked exhausted, pale and with bags under his eyes. "They'll accept you choice eventually."

She scoffed. "Not really. But whatever brings food on the table."

He handed her the tea and suppressed a yawn.

"You look horrible by the way," she said.

"Thanks," he replied sarcastically. "There is this huge presentation coming up … I need to make sure everything is perfect."

Rose sat up, alert to the piece of intel. "Yeah, but you need to sleep sometimes. What's the presentation about anyway?"

"A new weapon system we're developing. And there is nothing a few stims wouldn't fix."

"A new weapon system, huh? I guess that's all you can tell me about it?" she asked, trying to keep her voice calm.

He yawned again and nodded. "The presentation is due in tomorrow. I hope I can get some rest after that."

"So you won't be around tomorrow evening?"

"No, the presentation itself is during the day but there is a," he grimaced, "a banquet in the evening."

"That doesn't sound so bad." She pulled the egg out of the tea and took a sip.

"Rich food doesn't agree with me." There was a bitterness in his voice she had rarely heard.

She eyed him. He seemed to notice and pressed his lips together.

"Reminds me of all the horrible Lifeday celebrations I lived through," she said casually. "Lots of traditional food that was so greasy and heavy that I felt after one bite that I wouldn't have to eat for at least two weeks."

He frowned.

"But there is a secret to survive it," she said and nudged him in the upper arm.

His frown disappeared. "A secret?"

"Sure, it's an old family recipe: veggie dumplings. Just eat a few the day before and you won't have heartburn."

He laughed. "That doesn't sound right – how are dumplings supposed to help?"

She shrugged. "No idea. But they help. And they're delicious."

"Perhaps you'll eat some on your vacation."

"I don't think so; the dumplings are only for festive occasions. Lifeday is still far away."

"Ah." He seemed to mull over something. Perhaps he was wondering if it was a matter of money. She needed to steer the conversation back on topic.

"Do you have banquets often?"

He exhaled. "Thank the stars not – only on very special occasions."

Damn it, she needed to keep him talking. But how in the galaxy was she supposed to ask about the presentation and the weapons system without raising suspicion? "I guess Lifeday doesn't count."

He chuckled. "Not really. It's an empty rite anyway."

"Somehow I'm not surprised that you don't like Lifeday." She took a slip of tea.

"It has nothing to do with liking or disliking it. It is simply dated. Perhaps it is still relevant on planets with a weak state structure … where blood relations still are more important than allegiances to higher political ideas."

She took a gulp of her now cold tea and grimaced. "It's just a festive occasion to get together. And to bicker with distant family members of course. There is nothing political about it."

He straightened his jacket. "Everything is political."

This is not a conversation she should have with him. It irked her, but then she simply shrugged. "Maybe."

His eyebrow rose. "You don't agree?" Damn him and the smug expression on his face.

"Of course I don't!" she snapped before she could stop herself. "Ah, I mean- most things are political but I don't think that Lifeday-"

"You can't be possibly serious!" He put his tea cup back on the table. "Festivities are a means to promote a lifestyle! To support values that are important to the social structures-"

She threw her hands in the air. "So what? What's wrong with giving gifts to family members? What's so horrible about meeting up with loved ones?"

"It's weakness!" he hissed with so much vitriol that she clenched her hands to fists. He clasped his hand behind his back and straightened himself. "A mediocre system to enable mediocre people! Instead of boldly going ahead you're dragged down by obligations to people who happen to be your relatives! Instead of forging their own destiny people are held back by lazy compromises!"

She stared at him. His glare was hard, his lips pressed together to a thin line. By the stars, he really was a rabid cur – not some gentle engineer … a mad fanatic. She felt how shame washed over her. Why hadn't she seen it before? Cold anger took hold of her.

"Yes sir," she pressed out.

He seemed taken aback, his gaze softened. He took his tea mug from the table and stared into it. "Do you care for another cup of tea?"

What the- was he serious? First he shouted propaganda at her and now she was supposed to drink tea with him?

No, she had to stay calm. She had to stay close to him, listen to him in case he slipped up. Talked about this new weapon. This wasn't supposed to be easy or fun, she reminded herself.

"Yes, thank you." Even she could hear the strain in her voice.

He took her mug and turned to make more tea. Icy silence stretched out. Rose racked her brain to think of something to say, but nothing came to mind. In the end she continued working on the prototype. Hux put the tea on her workbench, she politely thanked him and pretended to work. She saw from the corner of her eye that he lingered for a few moments at her workbench before he returned to his own work.

.

-o-

.

The holo picture of the circuit he was working on spun slowly around its own axis, he halted it with a touch of the holo-keyboard. He wanted to type commands for the programme but his thoughts returned to Ro- since when did he call her Rose? No, she was Specialist Phan.

He wasn't supposed to feel uneasy. He was right … everything was political. She should know that – he was right to tell her. His fingers typed a few lines before they stopped again. He shouldn't have raised his voice like that. The look on her face when she listened to him it- it was different. He couldn't read it, but he suspected that she was angry. The way she had agreed with him in the end had something final about it.

He didn't like it.

It had been no secret that she didn't subscribe to the First Order ideology. She had never pretended to understand it, come to think of it she had subverted the very hierarchy the Order was built on … he had known and still he had … tolerated her.

So why had he even started? He pinched the bridge of his nose and exhaled. He was tired, stressed and perhaps- no, he was right. It was his right to lecture her. Family wasn't important.

A memory flashed up in his mind. He was standing before a broad chest covered in medals, staring at these trinkets from long forgotten battles, listening to well-known catch-phrases about order in the galaxy.

He grabbed his left hand and burrowed the nails of his right in the soft flesh. The dull pain did not help. He grimaced. His father had been right of course. He had promised him that he would mould him in his image, even if it was the last thing he would do. And it had been the last thing he had accomplished – right before Hux had made sure that painful, deadly poison was searing through his father's body.

Hux almost scoffed. At the time he had thought he could erase this father from his life … but it had been in vain. For all his talk about forging his own luck he was as much entrapped as Phan with her family.

He glanced at her. She was still bent over the prototype, strands of her hair obscuring parts of her face. Even without seen her face, he knew that she had that focussed look in her dark-brown eyes, slightly chewing her lips as she tinkered with tech.

He liked her. He liked her a lot. He liked how she laughed, how she spoke – always with this glint in her eyes as if she saw something nobody else saw.

The very thought of this glint made warmth spread out in his chest. He had been a fool. He had really thought- hoped that the glint in her eyes was for him. For the second time he almost scoffed. He should know better. She was here to earn money for her family, she joined him in the lab because he had ordered her to … later because she had thought that he would advance her … no, no she was still here. She was still here because of the work she clearly liked.

On top of everything she was also effortlessly brilliant. He looked back on the holo. Without her he wouldn't have solved the problem with Starkiller … She didn't know about that of course. But she had helped him with all his little side-projects. She was simply brilliant. Surely she knew how good she was? It must frustrate her to do menial work on daily basis despite her undeniable skills.

No wonder that she kept coming to the lab. Here she could work on somewhat challenging projects. It was still beneath her of course. She should work on the most important projects the Order has to offer, where she could put her brilliant mind to use.

He stared at the slowly rotating holo-circuit in front of him. What a pity that she was a civilian. A stubborn know-it-all who didn't believe in the First Order ideology. If only she would at least be ambitious enough to pretend to believe – like some of his fellow generals.

But no, she was too _good_ for that. She wore her heart on her sleeve so to speak … but not because she was simple-minded or naïve – but because she hadn't a mean bone in her body.

He glanced again at her. The strands of hair had been pulled together in a sloppy bun. She looked striking. He averted his gaze.

He shouldn't look at her like that. It wasn't- he gulped. He shouldn't humiliate himself. He was a general of the First Order! He had to act like one!

He straightened his jacket. He had to pull himself together.

His train of thought was disrupted by a question: "I need caf. Shall I pour you a mug too?"

He turned on his heel, she had already moved to the table with the thermos jug in the back of the lab. She put her hand on her hip. "Well?"

The glint, the spark in her eyes wasn't there, he realised. "No, thank you," he said in a flat voice. He watched her pour the dark beverage in a mug, unable to turn away his eyes. It was gone, he thought over and over. The stark was gone.

He had seen in countless of times when she had looked at him but now it was missing. It wasn't reserved for the work she loved … she had looked at _him_ with this- this spark in her eyes. And he had only realised it once he had lost it. He pinched the bridge his nose. Kriff. Why in the galaxy had he shouted at her like she was a Stormtrooper at a rally? He had known that she didn't- and still he had tried to force her to deny who she was and what she believed in. Stupid.

Perhaps … perhaps she was still angry at him? Perhaps she would again look at him like she used to be once she had calmed down?

He forced himself to return to work, tried his best to supress his thoughts, but it was in vain. About an hour later he pretended to be tired and they left after a few short words.


	12. Monster-in-the-Middle Attack

"Seeing you so pissed off this early in the morning is unusual," said Tarc and sat down next to her with a food tray.

"It's that obvious, huh?"

"How many times have I told you that you're a terrible Sabacc player? Come on, your face is like an open book."

Rose massaged her temples. She really was in a bad mood. Ever since Hux had turned out to be the fanatic moron everybody told her he was, she was on edge. She was disappointed, angry. What the kriff was she supposed to do? She couldn't pretend to agree with him, but returning to the casual banter they had established over the past weeks seemed impossible now. Perhaps it would help to talk about it?

"I had a row with the technician last night."

"You did?" asked Tarc with a little too much enthusiasm.

"I mean, I knew that these Order types actually believe their own propaganda. But yesterday he actually held a speech about their great ideology and how crappy everybody else is – it just made me so mad! Uh, what a jerk!"

Tarc patted her shoulder. "You're not the first one. We're cooped up with them and eventually we get to know them," she flashed a knowing smile, "sometimes we even 'work on projects' with them. But sooner or later you need to decide if it's worth it."

"You lost me – what are you talking about?"

"You need to decide if the pros weight out the contras. For example: Do you like talking to him?"

Rose shifted in her chair. "Well, yes. If he's not-"

"Is he nice to you?"

"Uh, I guess- I-"

"Does he respect you?"

"Yeah."

"Is he good in the sack?"

Rose felt heat crawl up her cheeks. "Uh…"

"I would be a yes I assume. Does he make you laugh?"

Her face still felt hot, Rose only nodded.

"Does he annoy you regularly?"

"No."

"There you have it! You two are still good to go." Tarc leaned forward. "You still aren't going to tell me his name, are you?"

"No, I'm not! And I already told you, there is nothing going on between us!" By the stars! Why ever had she thought it would be a good idea to tell Tarc what was going on?

"Alright, alright. I'm sorry, okay."

Rose sighed. Perhaps she had been too harsh. "I'm sorry I snapped at you. It's just … my family is really taking an issue with me being here – working for the people who raided our planet. I figured it was okay to take their money to look out for my family. I want to keep this strictly business."

"You didn't expect that you would meet people you would eventually like, huh?" Tarc's voice had a surprisingly serious undertone in it.

Rose scanned her face. She had never thought that Tarc was shallow, but the way she said it … it didn't fit, there was a deeper understanding behind it. But she was right. "I'm supposed to dislike, even hate them. But I don't."

"There is nothing bad about liking people. The point is that you don't forget who you are and why you are here." Tarc gave her a loop-sided grin. "Life is shitty, there is no point in making it harder for yourself. My advice: enjoy it as long it lasts – everything is going to shit sooner or later. Why not have a good time while you can? Forget about what people think about you! You just have to care about yourself."

Rose gave her a small smile. "Perhaps you're right."

"Of course I am."

"Is this why you are here? To earn money to have a good time?"

Tarc shrugged. "You could say that." She paused for a moment. "I used to be like you, you know."

"What do you mean?"

"I used to care about other people. I busted my ass to do right by them. I thought that," she laughed, "I thought that it would pay off. That one day it would stop being so hard."

"I take it something happened to change your mind?" Rose asked cautiously. Tarc was usually all smile and laughter, she had never seen this side of her – bitter, contrite.

Tarc bit off a large piece of bread. She chewed and gulped it down and said: "The galaxy happened. There is no big pay off, no parades for a gal that tried her best. So I said to myself 'why the kriff even bother?' – the galaxy is a shithole and in the end we are all alone. Nobody really cares about others, some are just better at pretending than others."

Rose wanted to say something to soften Tarc's bitterness, but before she could open her mouth, Tarc continued: "Sorry, I'm just a little tired."

Tarc didn't look tired at all, suddenly her usual perky mood returned. "Don't make such a face, Rose. Little old Tarc is just moody."

Rose smiled at her. "I hope you're feeling better."

Tarc winked at her, but it felt little off. "Sure do!"

-o-

As she scrubbed the ventilation filter on deck 73 Rose mused about what Tarc had said. Of course she didn't know what really was going on, but her advice concerning Hux sounded good. Her mission could still succeed … if she looked at the pros it didn't sound so bad.

Pro: She actually liked working in the lab and could use her engineering strengths to motivate Hux to keep her around. He clearly valued her opinion was and surprisingly often ready to follow her advice.

Contra: The biggest negative point was her inability to pretend or to lie about something, and that she despised the First Order.

Pro: She kind of liked talking to Hux. He was considerate and polite. He was also highly intelligent and had interesting ideas about engineering projects. He also seemed genuinely interested in talking to her.

Contra: He was a fanatic who believed in the First Order. They were bound to clash, he went off the rails because of something trivial like Lifeday.

Pro: He had mentioned the new weapons programme and the presentation. As the head of the WDD he had very valuable intel that could change the course of the war. He was rather relaxed around her and there was a possibility that even a guarded man like Hux would slip up eventually.

Contra: She had to stick around and avoid certain topics while trying to coax information out of him. It's possible that he would kick her out after their spat.

She wiped sweat from her brow and lowered the cleaned filter back into the shaft.

Was there some point she had overlooked? No, that was it. Wait … she hadn't even thought about the evening when he had invited her into his quarters. She had conveniently forgotten that she had well, wanted to fuck him.

Come to think of it, his behaviour had been awkward and strange. First she had thought that he wanted to get her in his bed. That's what people in power are used to after all – taking what they wanted.

She had decided to follow through, had been curious about him. She felt the familiar knot in her stomach just thinking about it. It was kriffing embarrassing but if she was completely honest … she had been very tempted, horny and tempted.

He had looked so soft that evening, without the product in his hair. It's colour had been slightly brighter than usual, like the leaves of a Vossian Birch. When he laughed he looked different … handsome.

But way he had flinched when she touched him. Told her that he wouldn't advance her before sending her away. Perhaps she wasn't attractive enough for him? After all Paige was the tall, slim and beautiful of them.

Then she thought back how he reacted yesterday after she had agreed with him – albeit through gritted teeth – he had the same shocked expression like when she had cupped his cheek. This wasn't the look of someone who didn't like her touching him. It wasn't the look of somebody who had won an argument; there had been something oddly poignant to the way he looked at her. He had even tried to smooth over their dispute by offering her tea.

He liked her. Yeah, it was nothing new … she already knew that he liked her. He laughed at her silly jokes and …

She sat back in the narrow ducts she was in and muttered "Kriff" under her breath.

He- he didn't only 'like' her. The way he looked at her, smiled at her and occasionally blushed … Was it possible? Had he really fallen in love with her? It would certainly explain him telling her that she didn't need to come to the lab, the fact that he brought her tea, took her to a hangar in the middle of the night to show her interesting engines … was this his way of flirting with her?

When he had … feelings for her it would also explain why he had sent her away that night in his quarters. Despite him looking at her with this silly half-smile of his, he had felt bad because he had thought that she just wanted a promotion …

Her heart began to beat faster. Crap! No, no, no that couldn't be!

Tarc had gotten to her, that was all. Messed with her head. Yes, Hux had only been polite. He needed her help with his side-projects, that's why he had been showing her the engines. Yes, this explanation made much more sense.

She grabbed her tools and move along the duct to the next filter. She opened the panel with her hydro-spanner and started to clean the next filter and did her best not to think about it anymore.


	13. Logical axiom

Hux stood in front of a panorama window on the _Supremacy_ and scrolled through his pad and checked his presentation for the last time. He wasn't nervous because of it, he was anxious to get back to work. His father had never understood that his unrest wasn't a result of weak nerves, but because he didn't like to waste time on something as trivial as parading around in front of laymen in an attempt to impress them. He knew what he was doing and that he was good at it.

For a brief moment his thoughts returned to Specialist Phan. A pity that she wouldn't be here. She would understand the elegance of his design. He smirked. She would probably find a flaw somewhere.

"A rare sight."

Hux looked up from the pad and saw Kylo Ren standing next to him. Even now he was wearing his helmet. "Cryptic as ever, Lord Ren. Am I supposed to ask what you're referring to?"

Ren make a coughing noise, it could've been a scoff. It was hard to tell with the vocoder. "I was referring to your smile. One can only assume that you're quite certain about the presentation."

"Of course I am. There is a reason why the Supreme Leader appointed me to head the WDD."

"Hm, I can feel your excitement, general. You're quite sure of yourself."

Hux crooked an eyebrow. "Not everybody is conflicted about their skills."

Ren exhaled sharply. "What are you implying?"

Hux smirked. "Nothing of course. It was merely a general observation."

"You would do well to refrain from 'general observations'."

"Indeed?"

"You misunderstand the difference in the nature of our power, general. Your power come from the system and your adherence to it … mine comes from within. Your power can be taken away. My power can never be taken from me."

Hux clasped his hands behind his back. "You really think your mystical powers are more important than the First Order military?"

Ren titled his head. "I'm afraid you don't understand my meaning, general. You'll see eventually." With these words he turned on his heel and strode to his chair in the conference room.

Hux frowned. He wanted to ignore what Ren had said, but he rarely spoke and whenever he decided to share cryptic statement Hux couldn't shake the feeling that there was a deeper meaning behind it. Like when he talked about 'letting the past die'.

He was Snoke's apprentice, and presumably his heir. He knew things Hux didn't. And he had his own agenda, his own assignments – like finding Luke Skywalkers lightsaber. Hux straightened himself and checked his chrono. He walked to his chair at the conference table.

It didn't matter. It wasn't his job to understand the ways of the Force or to question the Supreme Leaders wisdom. His job was to give him the means to restore order in the galaxy.

About two minutes later all officers were seated and waited for the Supreme Leader. The projection of his face appeared right on time in front of the place of honour at the head of the table.

The officers rose and bowed.

"Sit," Snoke growled.

They sat back on their chairs and waited for him to continue.

"The galaxy is a disgusting chaos, like a wild forest that is full of useless plants and rotten trees. We have to slash-and-burn it down to cultivate the land. The First Order is the cleansing fire, the useless and the weak will perish. Only the worthy shall remain."

Snoke's eyes looked for Hux and when he found him, he said: "General Hux will now present an appropriate weapon to make sure that the rotten trees and their roots will burn."

Hux got up and activated his holo presentation. The first thing that appeared was the Death Star.

"This was the Empire's most advanced weapon. A floating fortress that could penetrate even polarised planetary Ion-shields. As military officers we're all aware of the weaknesses of a heavily fortified starship – the need of several reactors for the energy output, the steady maintenance, the inherent risk of spies in the thousands of people needed to run it, the vulnerability to ambushes and space phenomena … I won't bore you with a full list. The Supreme Leader tasked me to build a weapon of at least equal shock and awe value and of course of one that would be the ultimate deterrent."

The next holo came up, it was an ice planet in the G7 sector.

"This is Starkiller. Imagine the Death Star," he projected the much smaller weapon next to the planet, "but more powerful, more secure and as a real fortress – built into a planet, fuelled by the magma and kyber crystal inside of the planets core. There will be no need for reactors, no large crew to keep them running."

He showed them a cross section of the planet. And a rough design of the weapon.

"As for the weapon itself: G7 sector is heavily populated with stars. We'll use a gravity field to drain their energy into Starkiller. An energy that will enable us to generate an output of roughly 100 Billion terajoules per nano-second. Due to the high output we'll able to send several concentrated beam via hyperlanes throughout the galaxy. Simply put: We can destroy 4 to 8 planets with one shot."

Hux noted with satisfaction that the officers in the room started to murmur and whisper to each other.

"The base itself will be protected with a state of the art planetary shield, there would be only one weapon able to penetrate it … and that, ladies and gentleman, would be Starkiller. No ambushes, no orbital invasions and no weapon to destroy the base."

The whispers in the room intensified.

"Despite all its advantages there are of course weaknesses – a small group of saboteurs could still infiltrate the base. The rebels could come up with a new weapons design ect. ect. We can't repeat the mistakes of the past and rely on only one weapon to keep the peace and order in the galaxy. After the surrender of the New Republic and it's puppets we will install smaller versions of Starkiller in strategic points throughout the galaxy. They will be less powerful, but nobody would dare to resist us."

For effect he let the holo-Starkiller fire and a couple of planets imploded after the beams had it them. Hux bowed and sat down.

"Impressive," said Snoke with a nod. Hux sat up a little straighter and could hardly suppress a smile.

Snoke's face twisted into a grin. "Will it be ready on time?"

"Of course, Supreme Leader. As planned."

"Excellent … I want you to prepare a demonstration for the galaxy to see. Once they witness the might of the First Order they will bow to us."

Hux nodded. "Of course, Supreme Leader. We will chart out a suitable system in the outer rim to-"

"The outer rim is mostly uninhabited. For an effective demonstration I want you to target the Chommell sector."

"The Chommell sector? But there are heavily populated planets, some of them under our control. Naboo signed a treaty-" began Hux.

"Naboo is notoriously unreliable. They are fickle, and besides … it was the sector represented by Emperor Palpatine before the Galactic Empire rose. It is also the home of Padmé Amidala. We need to let the past die and what better is there than to show the galaxy that we are not sentimental fools but the future?"

Hux frowned but then he nodded. "Yes, Supreme Leader." It was neither the time nor the place to question Snoke. He would voice his concerns later. Surely Snoke would be amendable to a compromise. Destroying inhabited planets without provocation and warning was senseless.

"How is the progress of your other pet project, general?" The grin on Snoke's face widened.

Hux blinked felt the colour draining from his face. The Hyperspace tracker was his latest idea, but it was only a design idea. He hadn't solved the problem of the probability calculations yet. Snoke knew that. He was punishing him for questioning his order concerning the Chommell sector.

After a short moment of hesitation he stood up. He hadn't prepared a presentation for that project. He had to improvise.

"Project 'Kolmogorow' is-" he licked his lips. "-is a device that will be able to track ships through hyperlane jumps." He pulled up a rough holo sketch he had drawn up for concept work. "It will calculate the used energy and apply a complex set of probability using Kolmogorow's axioms of-"

"It's not yet ready yet?" asked Snoke.

Hux pressed his lips together. Snoke knew that there was no time table to this project.

"No, Supreme Leader." He knew this game, he had played it often enough. "I'm taking full responsibility-"

Snoke scoffed. "I'm feeling generous, general. I forgive you this once."

"Thank you, Supreme Leader."

-o-

The rest of the conference had been dull as always. Other general reported their progress, it was nothing Hux didn't already know. He had read all the report beforehand. About five hours later the Supreme Leader's holo vanished and the preparations for the banquet started.

Droid with trays served sweet huttese champagne. Hux had exchanged small-talk with his fellow generals and ventured back to the panorama window in the back of the conference room. He looked out of the window at the stars, holding his glass of champagne in his hand without drinking it.

His thoughts returned to Specialist Phan. It was his fault that she-

"You continue to impress, Hux." General Mzee joined him, she lifted her glass and he clinked his against hers.

"I aim to please," he said dryly.

She laughed and she patted his shoulder. He had to suppress the urge to swat her hand away.

"Come on, it was a rookie mistake. Everybody in here knows to agree with the Supreme Leader. Why in the galaxy had you to talk about this silly treaty with Naboo? Didn't you think he knew about it?"

"Perhaps, but it seems … unwise to use the Chommell sector for a demonstration."

"Who cares what system we'll blow up?" Mzee's voice still sounded amused.

"Pardon me?" Hux glared at her. "There has to be a process behind these kind of decisions. Clear and simple. How are we supposed to bring order to the galaxy if there are no guidelines?"

"Stars you're young. I used to be like you, you know. But ideology tends to get old. If you have been around as long as I have you'll eventually understand that war is ugly and never-ending."

"Starkiller is going to end the war."

"Have you ever seen light without shadow? There will always be resistance and war. Sure, Starkiller is kriffing impressive. It will make sure that we will rule the galaxy for the next few decades. But there will always be opposition."

"I disagree."

She shrugged. "I know." She patted him again on the shoulder. "Anyway. I wanted to congratulate you for your success."

Hux stared in indignation as she walked away. Here, here in the heart of the First Order command structure … such traitorous words! But of course there was reason why she had dared to even voice her doubts: He knew that most of the older generals shared her view. They had grown too comfortable on their posts.

Did the Supreme Leader know? In a way he had to know, he knew everything. But why didn't he dispose of these disloyal generals? Or send them to re-education? If they were Stormtroopers under his command that's certainly what he would do.

-o-

The Banquet was as tedious as he had feared. He made an effort to talk to his colleagues, but soon his thoughts wandered back to his projects.

When the main course – roasted duck with Yavin mushroom sauce, sautéed butter potatoes, stuffed quail and vegetables – arrived he took a deep breath. The full plate alone made him lose his appetite. He poked the meat and then he slowly stared to cut it. From time to time he looked around. General Lysae sat across from him, he was talking with General Sniripsa while shoving little pieces of food into his mouth.

Hux couldn't help but stare at the other man's mouth. Seeing him chew, his wet lips covered in sauce. Disgusting. It made him feel physically sick. Hux finally tore his eyes away from the other man and started to eat the vegetables and the potatoes. He chewed slowly, forcing himself to swallow. Finally there was only the meat left on his plate. He cut a small piece, but then he put the cutlery down. It would get stuck in his throat, made him retch; there was no need to embarrass himself.


	14. Symmetrical Fault

It was nice to have an evening off, thought Rose and stretched. She was laying in her bed, wearing trainers and reading a holo novel on her pad. It was a murder mystery – she loved them; no complicated plot, no blood and gore. Something to relax to.

Two chapters in she fell asleep.

-o-

The next morning the alarm went off and she woke up still holding her pad. She groaned when she got up, her neck and her head hurt. She got up and yawned, massaging her neck with her hands. Damn, she felt tired. She checked her calendar – tomorrow was one of her rare work-free days. Thank the stars.

"You look even grumpier than yesterday!" cried Tarc.

"Well, I fell asleep while reading. My neck feels like it's made of concrete. We don't happen to have some kind of massage studio hidden somewhere on the _Finalizer_?"

Sarith looked up from his usual bowl of cereals. "Of course, it's right behind the spa we got because of all our unpaid overtime," he deadpanned.

"Ah, I forgot to ask, Sarith. How was your talk with Lieutenant Chitundu yesterday?" asked Tarc.

Rose rubbed her neck. "What? What happened?"

"Quarterly evaluation; suffice to say that it didn't go well," he replied.

"I'm sorry," said Tarc and nudged him. "Better luck next time."

"The strangest thing was that she said that I couldn't get the promotion because I wasn't 'proud to serve the First Order'."

Rose frowned. "What? Since when do they care?"

"It happens," said Sarith. "Internal Security sometimes seems to get wind of our complaints. From time to time they crack down on us with stuff like this."

"That sucks," said Rose. "We were all complaining, it's unfair."

He waved aside. "At least we still have that spa."

-o-

Rose dreaded the evening. In the end she decided to march into the lab and just grasp the rankor by the teeth. She hesitated shortly before she arranged her face into an expression that was hopefully as normal was ever and walked briskly into the lab.

To her surprise it was dark and empty. Huh, that was a first. Wasn't Hux back already? Or had he decided to discontinue his projects? She couldn't help but feel disappointed. She activated the lights and slowly walked over to the workbench with the prototype. Well, she could work a little on it or take the night off. She rolled her head and massaged her shoulder. She was not in the mood to work – she would turn up tomorrow.

She put the lights out and left. Moments later she stood in front of the lift and waited for it, it arrived and she was almost knocked over by someone hurrying out of it. She caught herself before she fell over, just when she was about to curse under her breath she realised that it was Hux standing before her.

"Specialist Phan," he said a little breathlessly.

She nodded. "General."

They stared at each other, silence stretching out.

Rose cleared her throat. "I didn't think you would come."

He gulped. "Why wouldn't I? We haven't finished our project yet. There had been something I had to handle – but now I'm here."

They started to walk towards the lab.

"How was the presentation?" she asked. "Did it go well?"

He looked at her as if he was searching for something in her face. "It did," he said slowly. For a moment it looked as if he wanted to add something but then he set his sight on the lab door in front of them and stopped.

Something was off, but she didn't know what. Was he mad at her? Had her question been too straight-forward? Well, since she had no clue what was going on, she decided to continue talking. "And you even survived the banquet – I would call that a win."

That made him smile. So he wasn't mad at her … Seeing him like this made her feel warm and fuzzy. Kriff. Why- why couldn't she stay mad at him? Why did it feel so good seeing him? She knew the answer of course … She- she really _liked_ him, despite everything.

"You're right, it's a win." The smile faded from his lips and he finally entered the lab. As soon as the lights were on she walked to the workbench and sat down. Only after she sat she noticed that he was still standing in the doorway, a pensive look on his face.

"Are you alright?"

He straightened his jacket. "Yes, yes I am. There is something- I'll be right back."

Before she could ask what was going on he had already walked away. The doors slid shut, leaving her alone in the lab.

Something was up with him. She had only seen him this distracted after that night when she had noticed his split lip. Had something happened during the presentation? No, he would've told her – not the details of course – but he hadn't told her that it had been fine.

Well, whatever it was, she had to wait for him. She checked her notes from her last work-session and began to scan the phasing in the plasma-modulators. Just when she was about to recalibrate it, the door slip open again. Hux appeared, he held a small dark-grey box in his hands. She craned her neck. Was it another interesting piece of technology?

The tips of his ears were a little pink when he crossed the room and put the box on her table. Then he turned away and took his great coat and his gloves off. He put them on the chair in the back of the room. It almost seemed that he made an effort to avert her gaze. "Have- have you solved the problem with the plasma-overload yet?"

She looked from the box to him and back to the box. "Uh, not yet. I want to recalibrate the phasing next. Perhaps it will help." What was this? It was clearly meant for her, but he acted so kriffing awkward.

She pulled the box closer and noticed that it was warm, finally she opened it and discovered that there were half a dozen steaming dumplings in it. There was an even smaller box with dark sauce in it.

The smell was delicious, a broad grin spread out in her face. She looked up and beamed at Hux, who was standing at the holo. He returned her smile and blushed a little.

"This is great! It had been ages since I last ate dumplings! Thank you!"

He shrugged. "Well, you're always working late." He cleared his throat. "And after I- uh, I'll get to work."

Rose hadn't been hungry before, but just watching these tender dough delicacies, let alone smelling them … She discovered a small fork in the box, pulled her leather gloves off and took it.

She skewered a dumpling and took a small bite. As suspected it was a veggie dumpling – a very delicious one at that. It lacked the spicy aftertaste she remembered from the dumplings she had eaten at Lifeday, but it was still great. She dunked the dumpling in the sauce and took another bite. The salty sauce was perfect too. She devoured the last bit of the dumpling.

"Thanks again, this is really delicious!"

He stood at the holo table and gave her a shy smile. "I certainly hope so, I asked the chef to prepare them from scratch."

"Did you like them too?"

"I haven't tried them to be honest."

She blinked. "What? Why in the galaxy not?"

He grimaced a little. "I'm not hungry."

"Come on, tasting one isn't going to kill you – even after a banquet."

.

-o-

.

Hux looked from the box with the dumplings to Specialist Phan and back. He had to admit that he was curious how these fabled dumplings tasted. But what if he couldn't swallow? Well, he could just pretend that he didn't like the taste.

She was already bringing the box to him and shoving the fork in his hand. After a short moment of hesitation, he skewered a dumpling and ate a small piece. He chewed slowly, taking in the flavour of the filling – she had been right – the taste was very good.

"Do you like it?"

He couldn't answer with his mouth full and swallowed without thinking. He blinked and looked at the dumpling on the fork with mild surprise. "Yes, it's good."

It had been surprisingly effortless to swallow. He took another bite. He noticed from the corner of his eye that she was looking at him. There it was again, the glint in her eye. It- it was back. He was so relieved that he almost forgot to eat. She still liked him! Even after his moronic outburst she still looked at him like that! He could warmth feel spread out in his chest.

He ate the dumpling and handed her the box back.

Their fingertips touched when she took it from it. Hux almost twitched, the touch electrified him and there was a tingle on his skin where her fingers had been. He opened his mouth to say something but closed it after he realised that he didn't know what to say. All he could do was to stare at her. Her dark eyes were simply mesmerizing. He could see it … the glint in her eye.

His pulse accelerated as his gaze fell on her mouth. Her lips looked soft and inviting. Slowly he reached out and took her hand. He half expected her to frown, to pull her hand away. But she simply continued to look at him with these beautiful eyes that reminded him so much of dark honey.

He lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed it. She inhaled sharply. He leaned in and watched how her lips parted; she cupped his cheek and kissed him softly.

Her lips tasted after the salty sauce. He closed his eyes and embraced her fully, deepening the kiss. She ran her right hand through his carefully slicked back hair, mussing it up. Her left rested on his chest, the warmth of it seemed to tickle down from his chest toward his stomach. Heat was pooling in his crotch and he could feel himself stiffen when her right hand wandered downwards and came to rest on his ass. The other hand was now slowly making its way down to his belt.

He moved his hands down to her hips and pulled her closer. She pushed him backwards until he was up to the holo table, almost sitting on it. She broke the kiss and started to open his belt, the look in her eyes was making him even harder – unveiled, raw desire, she wanted _him_.

This was nothing like the other men and women he had been with. He was feeling hot and cold at the same time, waiting in awe for her to undress him. To feel her on his skin.

She opened the black belt and literally ripped is jacket open, her hand slipped under his shirt and her fingertips explored his flat stomach, his chest and his back. His breath sped up and with slightly trembling hands he reached up and cupped her face with his hand.

"Rose-"

She brushed his hard cock with the other hand and he sucked in his breath. She opened the button of his pants and reached into his shorts, stroking his dick. As she worked her way up and down his length, he bit his lips and enjoyed the waves of pleasures rolling though him. If she kept up this pace he wouldn't last much longer.

He gently brushed her hand away and started to kiss her passionately, first her lips, then her down her neck. Hastily he opened her uniform jacked and placed kisses on her collarbone, moving further down.


	15. Short-Circuit Breaking Capacity

Feeling his hot lips on her shoulder, then on her breastbone made her shudder with lust. He knelt down in front of her and freed her breast from the bra, sucking and licking her nipple. She could feel herself getting wetter, she grabbed his head and pulled him closer.

She was already panting before he even started to rub his middle finger against her pussy. Even through the coarse fabric of the pants it was maddening. Suddenly he grabbed her and lifted her up, putting her on the still active holo table. He kept kissing her neck as he opened up her pants and pulled them down. He quickly disposed of her boots and got rid of the pants, throwing them on the floor.

Seeing him standing over her, the desire burning his blue-green eyes aroused her even further. She lay back, propping up on her elbows, slowly spreading her legs.

He started to kiss her inner tight. A shiver ran down her spine and the anticipation made her moan … then he suddenly placed a kiss on her panties, hooking his fingers into them and pulling them down. She bit her lips when he started kissing, licking and sucking her clit.

She closed her eyes and enjoyed the ecstasy. She then looked at him, seeing the infamous General Hux kneeling between her legs, pleasuring her with his mouth … she bit her lips and felt herself coming closer to the climax.

Even through the aroused haze she was in, she felt how he teased her pussy with his finger until he finally pushed one finger inside, moving it in the same pace he was sucking her – bringing her very close to the edge. She opened her mouth in a soundless scream went she came, he kept going while she rode out her climax.

They both panted, he stood up, wiping his mouth. She beamed at him, then her gaze dropped down on his still hard cock. She sat up and pulled him roughly closer by his shirt, kissing him. She could taste herself on his lips.

She pulled his boxers down and freed his proudly standing cock and stroked it with a firm grasp. He moaned against her lips, his breathing becoming ragged. She edged closer and leaned slightly back, directing his dick towards her wet pussy. His eyes went wide when he realised what she was doing, his mouth was agape. Strands of ginger hair were hanging in his face, his cheeks were flushed.

"Don't worry," she panted. "My protection is good for another three months."

"Mine too," he whispered with a lustful tone in his voice. "I'm …" He didn't finish the sentence.

He positioned himself and started to push and as soon as the tip of his dick entered her they both gasped. He grabbed her by the hips and pulled her towards him until he was fully seated inside her.

He started to fuck her, at first he was paced and gentle but then she wrapped her legs around his waist and he fucked harder. She felt hot, full and couldn't stop looking at him. Even in the pale light of the holo he looked incredibly handsome.

She could feel herself coming close again, and moments later he groaned and spilled his hot cum inside her. She came only seconds later.

He leaned forward and kissed her softly before he pulled out.

She lay there for a few moments, trying to catch her breath. She could hear his clothes rustle. She sat up and slid off the table, grabbing her panties lying on the floor and putting them back on. When she looked up he was already dressed. He picked up her pants and her boots and brought them to her.

She took the clothes, then she stood on her toes and gave him a light peck on the cheek. He looked at her with surprise in his eyes, his hand darted up to his cheek.

She picked the box with the dumplings that was still sitting on the far end of the holo table up and offered them to him.

"Do you want one? They're cold now … but it would be a pity to let them go to waste." She said nonchalantly.

.

-o-

.

He took the fork and shoved one of them into his mouth. Chewing, thinking. She grabbed one with her bare hand and bit off.

They sat next to each other, eating in silence.

He was still coming down from the incredible feeling of her touch, and the way she had moved … the ecstasy of seeing her cumming… What was he supposed to say – what was her expectation? Had this been only a heat of the moment thing?

Yes, yes of course it had been. What else would a woman like her from someone like him? She seemed to like him and the glint in her eyes … He blushed a little when he recalled her hand on his scrawny chest.

Weak, like a slip of paper. What did she think about him now that she had discovered how scrawny he really was? No, it didn't matter. There was no merit in musing about things he couldn't change.

He should be grateful. He had been allowed to kiss and pleasure this incredible woman.

.

-o-

.

She devoured a dumpling, grinning to herself. She felt relaxed, warm and happy. She just had incredible sex and now a snack! It was perfect!

She glanced at Hux who stared into distance, chewing slowly. His hair was all mussed up and his jacked was still open. She gulped. He looked handsome, very handsome indeed … with these soft lips and these long eyelashes. She had liked his lean muscles, it felt nice, tracing them with her fingertips. Handsome indeed.

She had noticed before of course, but this was the first time she allowed herself to think that without having to second-guessing herself. Such a pretty man … and he had brought her dumplings. She hadn't expected that; again he had surprised her. And he hadn't expected him to take the initiative after last time …

She looked at him again. He was clearly contemplating something. Probably thinking again about their project.

She took the last dumpling and took a bite. Perhaps she should go over the schematics again? The prototype didn't work as intended. Or perhaps she should rather check the programming?

At any rate – first things first. She needed a shower.

She finished eating and pushed herself away from the table she had been leaning at.

"I'll hit the shower," she said, closing her jacket.

He raised his head up, confusion spreading on his face. "I-"

She stood on her toes and gave him a quick peck on his lips. "See you tomorrow?"

"Y-yes, of course."

She gave him a mock salute and left the lab. She was in an exceptionally good mood, she could help but grin on her way to her quarters.

-o-

She washed her hair with the new shampoo she had bought in the commissary – supposedly it should smell like 'Copero Forest Honey' but it turned out that it only as a sickeningly sweet artificial smell that reminded only faintly of real honey.

She returned to her room and let herself fall on the bed. She picked up her holo and saw that she had two new messages; both were from Tarc – asking her if she was up for a round of Sabacc.

'Sorry, I'm beat – another time. Thanks for asking.'

Only moments Tarc had written back. 'Well, I hope he's worth it.'

She didn't bother to write back. Once more she was glad that she hadn't to write mission reports. Her good mood slowly evaporated. It was only a matter of weeks before she would go to Hays Minor for her 'family vacation' – for the first time she hoped that Paige wouldn't come along.

"Kriff," she muttered under her breath.

She really hoped that Paige wouldn't come. It would be uncomfortable enough to tell Poe about her mission and well, what she had done to gather intel. Gathering intel …

"Kriffing hell," she muttered again. She hadn't done it because she had thought it would help the mission. She had done it because she wanted it – and by the stars it had been good. And may the Force help her – she was really looking forward seeing Hux again.

She buried her face in her hands and took a deep breath. It didn't matter, even if she liked him. She would still do what was right, finish her mission and pay whatever price it would cost. There was simply too much at stake.

She lowered her hands. Yes, she liked him, she _liked_ being with him. But she knew who she was and she knew what she had to do. That was all that was important.


	16. Shortcut

Hux lay in his bed, staring at the ceiling. The cold light of the stars basked his bedroom in a cold light. He thought about closing the blinds but he decided against it. The light didn't bother him, not really. He couldn't sleep for other reasons.

The reason was about 157 cm tall, had an absolutely brilliant mind, silky black hair, amazing curves and the most beautiful eyes he had ever seen. Hux hadn't gotten where he was because he had lied to himself, he had gotten where he was because he analysed everybody – himself and the others around him.

Rose Phan. He liked her, very, very much so. He could feel the longing in his heart, the memory alone of her warmth making him content. There was no point in denying it anymore. He had fallen in love with her. In fact he had been in love with her for weeks now. And she … an iron grip took hold of his heart … and she had been so casual about it. The way she had kissed him before she had left, soft and fleeting.

He had analysed their encounter over and over again. The facts were very clear: on one hand there was a highly intelligent, striking woman with amazing wit and spirit and on the other hand was a sickly, overachieving man who had only succeeded because of nepotism and ruthlessness.

There was only one logical conclusion: It had been a spur of the moment thing for her. Certainly she liked him well enough to spend time on working on his projects, or have sex with him … but she wouldn't stay. Of kriffing course she wouldn't stay. Why should she?

He had to enjoy it while it lasted. Memorize each moment with her, her scent and the way her eyes shone in the light of the lab.

-o-

The next day was busy, the planned meeting for the progress on Starkiller was set in the early morning. The construction was progressing well, even with the changed plans he had send them days ago.

"The geological test showed that the bedrock will support the energy cells," said General Ha-Yun. "We're confident that we'll finish on time."

Hux nodded. "How much buffer time have you calculated?"

"Two weeks."

Major Astur crooked an eyebrow. "Just two weeks? That's bold."

Ha-Yun pressed his lips to a thin line. "I know my teams and what they can do."

Hux rubbed his chin. Ha-Yun was reliable, so far he had always completed his task on time. "We'll go with your timetable, General. Major, how is-"

The shrill beeping of an incoming holo call interrupted him. All participants of the meeting, those of them who were there in person while those who attended via holo got up – there was no doubt who was calling.

Snoke's head was projected above the table – larger than life as always. They bowed.

"General Hux," hissed Snoke.

"Yes, Supreme Leader?" Hux looked up and straightened himself.

"What is the status of project Starkiller?"

Why was he asking about it? Snoke knew the timetable. "We will complete it as planned."

"There has been a change of plans. I need it ready in six months."

Hux could feel the colour drain from his face. "We need a year to-"

"Six months!" boomed Snoke.

Hux clenched his hand to a fist. This was madness! But he couldn't contradict Snoke in front of the others. "Supreme Leader, I request a private audience."

Snoke chuckled darkly. "Very well."

The other officers quietly left the room, as soon as the door was closed and the last holo and gone out, Hux spoke: "May I speak candidly?"

"Of course, general."

Snoke's faux benevolent tone of voice irked him. He worked tirelessly for the Order – for Snoke – and this is what he reaped? Being looked down on?

"Supreme Leader, with all due respect … if we speed up the project by half a year we may end up with a defective weapon. The quality control alone-"

"Surely a man of your intellect and of your skill can manage in six months?" interrupted Snoke.

The unexpected kind words made Hux hesitate. Snoke was rarely kind … his words reminded him of something but he couldn't quite remember.

"Supreme Leader, you flatter me … but completing this gigantic project isn't depended on one person alone. If you set this timetable, you're forcing us to forgo tests and-"

"Six months," repeated Snoke with a grin. His holo disappeared.

Hux stared at the empty space. "Kriff!" He gritted his teeth and slammed his fist on the table. Then he grabbed his data pad and threw it against the wall.

Why? Why in the galaxy was Snoke sabotaging his own people? Starkiller was the Orders most expensive and ambitious project – why would Snoke risk failure by moving the timetable on what appeared like a whim? Why didn't he tell him why he had moved up the timetable?

Hux took a deep breath. Then he walked over to the pad and crouched down. The display was shattered. In frustration he kicked it away.

Then he used the intercom to call the officers back in. They entered in silence. Astur looked on the pad on the floor and said in a low voice. "I take it, that it didn't go well?"

Hux just glared at her and started pacing while the others sat down. He stopped pacing back and forth and addressed his peers. "We've got six month."

"How?" asked Ha-Yun.

Hux straightened himself. There was nothing he could do – he had to follow Snoke's orders. He pulled up the timetable on the holo in the middle of the table. "We will work on the safety test at the same time as we install the final components." Ha-Yun draw breath to speak, but Hux lifted his hand. "I'm aware that this breaches the security protocols. But the Supreme Leader was clear in his wishes."

"It won't be enough to complete the project in six months," said Astur.

Hux rubbed his temples. "Of course it won't. This project is too important to rush it. We'll do what is humanly possible and the rest …"

He didn't need to spell it out, everybody knew that Snoke would make him responsible for any delay. And there would be an inevitable delay, six months was just not possible – even under perfect conditions. Hux felt ill. He would pay the price for this insane timetable. He did his best arrange his face into a neutral mask and swallowed his anger. He had a meeting to hold.


	17. Theory of Self-Reproducing Automata

It was Rose's free day and after reading a bit in her quarters she decided to visit the commissary. Perhaps they had the honey cookies she liked so much?

The commissary was a rather unappealing storage room where personnel could buy items off a list. She checked the list on her pad while walking – the cookies were still listed. There was a long line to the commissary. She got in line and continued read in her holo novel on her pad. Suddenly the chatter surrounding her died down.

She looked up and saw two men in white uniforms walking past them. Internal Security. There was something disturbing about their pristine bright uniforms, as well as the way they deliberately walked past the line.

It was strange, now that she thought about it. Their job was to make sure that everybody was in line with the First Oder ideology. But with the white uniforms they stuck out, wherever they went the people stopped talking and looked away.

That was no way to gather information or to find out what was going on in the Order. That meant that they were only for show, they only strutted around to remind people they were here. They had other means to gather intel … they had to have spies and informants. This realisation didn't come to Rose as a surprise, she was just baffled that it had never occurred to her that the white uniforms were just to shock and awe.

Finally it was her turn and she was able to buy the cookies – overpriced as always. But they tasted really good with that bitter tea Hux liked so much.

-o-

After diner with Tarc she headed to the lab. She thought about the prototype and had already a few ideas how to address the problem with the chips.

Hux sat at his desk and was apparently dictating something into his pad, he fell silent as he saw her. There was a harrowed, tense air about him. He was still wearing his great coat and his black leather gloves.

"Uh, good evening," he said in a low voice. "I didn't think that you would show up so early."

"Today is my work-free day." She put the cookies on the desk. "I thought I might as well turn up a little earlier today."

He smiled and pointed at the cookies. "And you even brought those sickeningly sweet biscuits you cherish so much."

She leaned in. "The last time I checked you ate half of them." She gave him a soft kiss. He returned it equally tender, an expression of surprise on his face.

"What?" she asked.

"I- I didn't expect this level of …" he broke off. "You keep surprising me."

She smiled. "I admit, you keep surprising me too." She craned her neck to look on his pad. "What are you working on?"

He clicked the recorded text away. "Just a speech."

Memories of the last rally returned to her mind – Hux shouting and yelling like a mad man. Her smile faded a little. "Ah, the next one is scheduled in a few days, isn't it?"

He seemed oddly contrite. "Yes."

She opened the package with the cookies and offered him one. But he only grimaced. "You look stressed," she said before shoving a cookie in her mouth.

"Well, it's a step up from the time when I looked 'horrible'," he retorted.

"Hey, you're right." She grabbed his cup and took a gulp from his tea. His indignant look made her laugh.

"You could just ask me to give you a cup too."

"Where is the fun in that?"

He chuckled and got up to make fresh tea. She watched him as he cooked the water and prepared the tea egg. She couldn't help but stare at his back, she imagined her hands on his waist, trailing his tights … slipping her hand under his jacket, feel the thin, rough line of hair between his navel and his cock … the though alone made her wet.

Kriff.

She could feel her pulse accelerating. She started to feel hot. Without thinking she walked over and embraced him from behind, she buried her face between his shoulder blades and let her hands roam over his ribcage, enjoying his reaction, hearing his breath become ragged as she moved her hands downwards to his navel. Finally she reached his cock and cupped it with her hand.

"Care for an early nightcap?" she asked.

He turned and pulled her towards him, she laughed as she felt his breath on her necks, his hands on her ass.

Slowly she reached up and trailed his cheek with her hand. Only now she realised that they were both still wearing their black leather gloves. He let go of her and took her hand, pulled the glove a little back and kissed her exposed inner wrist. A shudder of lust ran through her. Slowly he peeled the glove off her hand, kissing and nibbling at the wrist.

She took his free hand and led it to her mouth, he stopped caressing her wrist, his beautiful soft lips half parted. She put his index finger in her mouth, and bit tenderly down, pulling his glove off with her teeth.

Seeing the lustful expression on his face made her even wetter. Finally she couldn't take it anymore, she abandoned all subtlety; she pressed herself against him, moaning as she felt his hard cock rubbing against her.

-o-

The dark-grey silk of Hux' bedsheets felt cool against her skin. They were both still naked.

"I hope I haven't kept you from writing your speech," she said mischievously and turned to face him.

He flashed a quick smile at her. "But you did, how dare you?"

"Well, I'm known for my bad influence."

He sat up. She could see his slender frame, and a black bar code inked under his right arm. Probably the Orders identification code. "I- Writing speeches isn't exactly my forte. I wasn't making much progress anyway."

She propped up on her elbow. "I find that hard to believe. I mean, you're holding these rallies-"

"It's for the Order."

Huh, so he did it out of conscientiousness? Somehow she had assumed that he liked doing it. But the way he said it … he almost seemed unhappy. "I guess we all do stuff out of duty."

"We do. What about you? Do you regret your decision to come to the Order for your family?"

Rose got up and started to collect her clothes from the floor. "I don't regret it. I mean it's hard and sometimes I wish I could just go home … be free."

He slipped into a black bathrobe and ran his hand through his hair in an attempt to slick it back. "What would you do if you could do anything?"

"I always dreamed of running my own repair shop. Just working on tech, try to come up with ways to tweak and upgrade tech … be my own boss." Rose remembered how Paige and she used to imagine that they would open their own pod race team – Paige as pilot of course. "Maybe with my sister, she's not big on repairs but … we kind of talked about it since we were kids."

Rose had gathered all her clothes and turned to face Hux. He looked oddly disquieted. "What about you?" she asked.

.

-o-

.

Hux was caught by surprise by her question. He blinked and cleared his throat. "I- I don't know."

What else was there besides the Order?

"You like inventing stuff, right? You could work as engineer for example."

He thought about it. His time on Arkanis came back to mind. He had been content there, forgotten by his father and the Order. The thought was tempting … working in his own pace, without having Snoke imposing impossible timetables on him.

"Perhaps," he said quietly.

"Shower?"

"Pardon me?"

"I'm heading to the shower, do you want to join? I took a peek earlier – it's certainly big enough."

He froze. Up until now he had managed to keep her from seeing his skinny frame in full. The dim light in his bedroom and provided a little cover. The thought of being on full display in the bright light of the bathroom made him uncomfortable.

Then he set his sights on her, her silky hair … her wonderful curves – she was waiting for him. He gulped. "Of course."

Slowly he slipped out of the bathrobe and grabbed a spare towel from a drawer. She was already in the shower and had thrown her clothes she had previously collected on the floor. He put the towel on the pole next to his own and followed her.

She flinched when the water started running. A broad smile spread on her face. "Water!"

"Well, the command has usually water instead of sonic showers."

She stepped into the stray of water and started to wash herself. "You have no idea how much I've missed this."

"I thought Hays Minor didn't have enough clean water for showers?" he asked and joined her under the spray of water.

She hesitated for a moment. "Yeah, I was on Cato Namodia years ago. Since then I kind of hoped I would again get to shower with water."

Odd. He couldn't remember that detail from her file. Well, perhaps it wasn't a complete file.

"Where is your shampoo?" she asked.

"Right over here," he took it from the small metallic self behind her and handed it to her.

She started to rub it into her hair. "You know I really like your hair – I want to touch it whenever I see it." She stood on her toes and put shampoo in his hair.

He flinched and took a very small step back, getting out of her reach. Was she serious? Or was she making fun of him? Perhaps she thought it was polite to compliment him in this situation? "Uh, I like your hair too."

"What's the matter?"

He gulped. "You- you don't need to say these things."

She turned the water off. There was still shampoo in her hair, the white foam was running down her back. "I don't get it. What do you mean?"

The way she looked at him, with such openness and kindness … it gave him a small stab in the heart. What was he supposed to answer? 'Don't lie to me'?

He turned the water on again and washed the shampoo out of her hair. It felt good- her wet, silky hair against his fingers. For a moment she looked at him, before she closed her eyes and enjoyed his soft massage of her scalp.

He gave her a peck on her forehead and then he showered himself.

She rubbed her hair dry while he quickly slid back into his bath robe. He went back to the bedroom and stared at the bed with the rumbled sheets. For a moment he imagined how it would be if she stayed the night. Should he ask her to stay? Or was it too much?

He heard clothes rustling behind him. She wouldn't stay. Of course she wouldn't.

He sat down on the bed and checked his chronometer. It was barely past midnight. He could still work on his speech after she had left. He felt tired but he knew from experience that he could still work for at least an hour.

Footsteps closed in on him and the mattress was weighted down, she embraced him from behind, giving him a peck on the cheek. Feeling her so close to him was incredible. He felt warm, comfortable, and happy. He put his hand on the one resting on his chest and pressed it softly. Stars, he truly loved her.

She whispered in his ear: "I think you're handsome, I truly do."

Time seemed to slow down, his heart was pounding. His mouth felt dry. Before he could stop himself, he said very quietly: "I am not."

"Of course you are."

He didn't reply. She seemed so sincere. How could she be so sincere? He pressed his hand on her hers. "Do you want to stay the night?"

"Yes."

He hadn't know that a simple word would make him so happy. She wanted to stay- stay with him.

She let go of him and settled into the bed, pulling up the sheets. He saw that she was only wearing her panties. He went to a drawer and took an undershirt and gave it to her.

"Thanks!" she said and put it on, it was a little tight but it seemed to fit her well enough. He quickly put on his pyjama, turned off the lights and lay down behind her.

She scooted closer and he put his arm around her, feeling her warmth against his chest and his stomach made him smile. The darkness felt like a soft blanket, it made him feel safe.

"Thank you … for what you said," he said. "I think you are beautiful too."

"I'm just telling the truth." After a pause she added. "Don't listen to them … they don't know you. Not really."

"Whom?"

"Whoever told you that you're unsightly and not good enough."

He gulped. "There is evidence that he was right."

She was quiet for a moment, then she spoke again. "I had this aunt, back on Hays Minor. She worked in the local government and she- well, she thought she was the educated and the smart one in our family. That the rest of us were simple-minded miners who needed her guidance and uh class." She shifted a little. "She loved my sister, she truly did. You have to know that Paige was and is wonderful – she's kind, compassionate and strong-willed and of course she's tall, slim and beautiful. Me on the other hand … not so much. I was unruly and according to her lazy."

He scoffed.

"She thought that I should be like Paige and she relentlessly reminded me that I wasn't like her. She criticised my manners, my clothes, my weight – a wonder she didn't criticise my height."

"What a horrible woman."

She sighed. "The sad part is that she wasn't a bad person. She just compared me to someone else, she never saw who _I_ was. She wanted me to be Paige. But I could only be myself. The only thing I can do is to be the best Rose. Took me a few years to figure it out though."

He processed what he had heard. It was uncanny how much the story of the aunt also fit on his father. Brendol Hux had tried to mould him into something he wasn't. He hadn't tried to raise a son. He had tried to make a carbon-copy of himself. The realisation was startling – why hadn't he seen it before? His father had even said it out loud and he just hadn't understood what he was telling him.

That's why he had tried to toughen him up, to feed him up, to groom him being his successor in der Order. It was so absurd that he chuckled.

"I just realised something," he said. "You're right. He didn't know me. And I didn't see it … all these years and I didn't get it. It's ridiculous."

"You should know by now: I'm always right." There was a smile audible in her voice.

He pressed a kiss on the back of her head. "You weren't right about the glitch in the sub-processor the other day."

She quickly turned around and hit him with her pillow. "How dare you!"

He laughed and lifted his hands in defeat. "I surrender!"

She let herself fall back into the bed. His eyes had gotten used to the darkness and he could see her looking up at the ceiling.

He turned on his back and followed her example.

Suddenly she spoke again. "Do you think the problem is with the programming itself? The coding could be faulty."

"I highly doubt it. The coding itself is at least two years old … unless of course it's not compatible with some of the newer modules."

She turned her face towards him and smiled. "I guess we have to meet up tomorrow and find out."

He leaned over and kissed her. "Indeed we must, Specialist."


	18. C9H13N

An unfamiliar shrill beep woke Rose. At first she was confused by the surrounding, but then she remembered that she hadn't slept in her quarters. She heard sheets rustling and yawned.

"Morning," said Hux with a throaty voice.

"Uh, morning. What time is it?"

"It's 6:00." He paused. "I have to get ready. Sorry."

"It's alright. I have to get going too. My shift starts in two hours – and I have to get fresh clothes from my room."

She headed to the pile of clothes on the floor and started to dress herself. She could hear him brush his teeth in the bathroom. When she peeked inside she saw his reflection, he looked sleepy, the mussed up hair and the stubbles added to that impression. Kriff. He really looked lovely. Nobody was supposed to look this cute in the morning.

How in the galaxy he couldn't see that was beyond her. It seemed that his father had made sure that his son was … well, was Hux. At least she assumed that he had talked about his father last night.

She closed the jacket of her uniform and pulled her hair into a ponytail. She needed to get back to her quarters, her crumpled uniform wasn't exactly regulatory.

She heard a faint noise and realised that the front door had opened. She froze. Who the kriff just walked into Hux' quarters?

Moments later the door opened and closed again and Hux emerged from the bathroom. He went over to his cupboard and took a fresh uniform out of it.

"There was somebody here, just now-"

"It was only my factotum droid with my breakfast."

She exhaled. "Alright, at least I'm awake now."

He cleared his throat. "I apologize, I didn't think to change my standing order- I could have ordered breakfast for you too." The tips of his ears turned pink.

She felt a smile spread on her lips. She went over and gave him a peck on the lips when he leaned down. "It's alright – I'll leave now, okay? We'll see each other tonight."

He cupped her cheek and kissed her back. "I'm looking forward to it."

"Me too."

She left the bedroom and glanced at his desk. There was a tray with a slice of bread, a cup of tea and an injector on it. She slowed her step. From what she could see it was a stim.

She quickened her pace and left the quarters and headed for the lifts. So that was how Hux started his day? Bread, tea and drugs? No wonder he looked pale.

-o-

After changing her clothes she realised that she was in desperate need of caf. She headed into the mess hall and grabbed a bowl with porridge and a large cup of caf. She checked her chronometer – she was early. Tarc and Sarith weren't here yet.

She checked her pad. There were a couple of messages, most from Lieutenant Chitundu concerning work assignments. She scrolled through them and groaned inwardly. From the looks of it she had to do repair in sanitation again. One was a reminder of the mandatory rally.

She checked her calendar. In two weeks she would get her vacation and travel to Hays Minor … and she had nothing to show for her mission. No, that wasn't true. She had an in with the architect of the WDD programme. She still could learn much about the weapons the Order was developing.

She thought about the way Hux had looked at her in the shower, he had looked hurt because he thought she was lying to him about her liking his hair. She felt a small stab in her heart. She had been honest – about everything she had told him. She actually liked him and the way he had looked this morning …

And the worst part was that he obviously liked her too. He hadn't said if of course, but the way he looked at her, how he cupped her cheek …

That wasn't supposed to happen.

"My my, you're early," said Sarith from behind.

She glanced over her shoulder. "I had to make sure that I got enough caf before the shift."

He sat down across from her. "Ah, you got the messages about the sanitation repairs."

She rolled her eyes. "I thought we would get nicer assignments eventually."

He laughed. "Ever the optimistic, eh?"

"Well, I'm afraid it's incurable."

He looked at her, there was something strange in his eyes as he said quietly. "You are a good person. You shouldn't be here."

"Why do you say that?" she said with a frown.

"This place … it does something to you."

She felt her hackles rise. There was a sense of danger coming from Sarith. "You mean this ship-"

"Man, what a drag!" exclaimed Tarc and banged her tray on the table. "Sanitation again?"

Rose flinched. "By stars! Do you want to give me a heart attack?" When she looked back to Sarith his strange aura from before was gone and he looked as mild-mannered as ever.

-o-

The sanitation droids were surprisingly ancient for a state of the art ship like the _Finalizer_. Rose had already repaired two dozens of them, each and every one of them was simply outdated. They would malfunction again, unless they were replaced by newer models. The stench from the little droids didn't help either to improve Rose's motivation.

She wiped her brow with her sleeve and glanced at Sarith, who was working a few meters away from her. He had turned his back to her.

Had it been a threat? No, no that was not it. It was as if he tried to warn her. But of what? That her pure, innocent soul would be corrupted by the vile First Oder? Hardly. Sarith was a realist; he knew what the galaxy was like. It wasn't like him to spout ominous words like that. And yet he had.

There was no way around it, she had to ask him directly what he had meant. She just had to catch him alone.

Shortly before their shift ended Chitundu called them via holo and ordered them to the shower for the rally. Rose still thought she reeked when her team gathered in the main hangar – the smell of the sewage work droids was still in her nose.

The front rows were again filled with white-clad Stormtroopers. Giant flags were hanging from the ceiling and portable holos were swarming in the room.

There was an ear-deafening silence when Hux and Kylo Ren walked on stage. Rose pressed her lips together. It was strange, seeing Hux in full uniform on the stage again. She didn't like it.

"Yet again we triumph! The government of Ord Mantell asked us to free them from terrorists, from their violence and their inane acts of defiance against the law. As of today the planet will be under our protection. Once again the New Republic did _nothing_! Instead of taking action they tried to talk to the terrorists. Whereas we did what was needed: we took action!"

Her discomfort grew as the speech went on. It felt like this wasn't the man she knew. But of course he was – this is was he believed, what he truly believed. She had expected to get angry, to clench her fists in anger. But all she felt was sorrow. What a waste for someone with so much potential.

Hux concluded his speech, cheers erupted from the Stormtroopers. Hux made way for Ren.

"The path to true power is going forward. Never look back, the future is ahead. Let the past die." Ren said in a deep voice before he stepped back.

Like the last time the Stormtroopers seemed taken aback, they clapped but there was no cheering. Rose watched Ren walk away with Hux. Something was going on with Ren, she wondered if Hux was willing to talk about Snoke's apprentice if she asked.


	19. Heuristic Circle

Hux could feel sweat running down his back; his hands were still trembling slightly. The adrenalin was slowly trickling down. By the stars, how he hated holding speeches. He could hear Ren wheeze next to him. It irked him, and he tried to ignore the man.

"General."

Hux straightened himself and turned on his heel. "Lord Ren."

"You lacked your usual enthusiasm today," said Ren in a calm voice.

"How kind of you to notice," sneered Hux.

Ren gestured the surrounding officers to leave. Hux waited patiently until they were alone. Probably another attempt of Ren to intimidate him.

"I sense conflict in you, general," Ren huffed.

"And I sense a headache coming on – say your piece and be done with it."

Ren chuckled darkly. "I admire your fearlessness, General. I really do. Very well, I'll get right to the point."

Hux crossed his arms and waited for him to continue.

"Starkiller is important to the Supreme Leader. Will you be able to finish it?"

"Of course – but we need time to finish the project properly-"

"And yet you expressed doubt the last time-"

"I didn't express doubt about the project itself. I doubt the timetable the Supreme Leader has forced on me. And before you mutter thinly veiled threats: I told him so in a private audience. I fail to see what purpose this conversation has."

"We all serve at the Supreme Leader's pleasure."

Hux narrowed his eyes. So Snoke had ordered Ren to intimidate him – and Ren wasn't particularly happy about it either.

"Of course we do."

"One last thing... Starkiller isn't a 'project', it's a weapon, and the Supreme Leader will use it."

Hux frowned. "I designed it – of course I know its purpose. And we're at war."

"And yet you expressed hesitation when the Supreme Leader told you the first target of Starkiller."

"I see, this is what this is really about, isn't it? I still believe that we shouldn't use the weapon on a system which has already bowed to us. We're here to restore order to the galax-"

"We're here to cleanse the galaxy," hissed Ren in an unexpected forceful voice. "To rid it of the Jedi and every world that has been tainted by them."

"You can't be serious. We can't destroy planets because of their history with the Jedi."

"Let the past die."

Hux stared at Ren, once again he wished he could see his face instead of his own dim reflection. "And they call me rabid cur."

Ren turned on his heel and stalked away, his cape fluttering dramatically behind him. Hux stared after him, then he took his hat off and ran his hand through his hair.

Ren was surely exaggerating. It simply made no sense – the point of the First Order was ending the chaos in the galaxy. Wiping out planets on a whim was insane. He wondered if Snoke knew about this.

He grimaced. What if Ren really was Snoke's mouthpiece? After all it had been Snoke himself who wanted to test Starkiller on a subjugated system with billions of people in it.

He put the hat back on. It didn't matter. It wasn't his place to question the Supreme Leader.

-o-

He worked faster than usual; he was impatient to get to the lab. The last couple of hours he could hardly focus on his reports, his thoughts returning time and time again to Rose. Rose... even her name was perfect.

He stared at the latest report from Internal Security without reading a line. She had been at the rally, it had been mandatory after all. He wondered what she had thought about it... she hadn't liked it, that much was sure.

Well, if he was honest... he didn't like the rallies himself. They were rather primitive propagandistic tools, designed to boost the soldiers' morale. In that respect they fulfilled their purpose.

He glanced at his chronometer and got up. It was time to go to the lab.

.

-o-

.

On her way to the lab she was almost giddy. She was curious about Ren, and she looked forward to the work... and to him, of course.

She was quite surprised when she bumped into Tarc at the lift to the WDD.

"Hey, are you on your way to your engineer?" Tarc asked with a wide grin.

"Uh, yeah." Rose felt heat crawl up her cheeks.

"You are so cute when you blush, you know that?"

"Shut up," said Rose with an embarrassed laugh.

"Well, I wish you the best – see you!" She got off on deck 14G and winked at Rose.

As the lift drove further downwards Rose mused what Tarc was doing on deck 14G at this time of night... especially since it was Sabacc night. She groaned. She probably was almost dying to see her mysterious engineer. She needed to talk to her – this was going too far.

She rubbed her temple. And it was dangerous for her. If there were rumours about Hux and her it would make her mission complicated, she would be under too much scrutiny. Kriff. She should have never told Tarc about him.

Her bad mood vanished as soon as she stepped into the lab. He stood by the table as always, the frown on his face slowly softened and he begun to smile.

"Evening, _Specialist_."

"Evening, _General_."

The next few hours they continued their work on the prototype. Exchanging now and then technical questions.

When they finally took a break, she cleared her throat. "There is something I want to ask you…"

He looked up from his tea cup. "Yes?"

"It's about Kylo Ren. And the stuff he said at the rally."

Hux' grimaced a little. Either he didn't want to talk about it or he didn't like Ren.

She licked her lips. "What's the matter with him? What does he mean by 'letting the past die'?"

He took a sip from his cup. It was clear that he was trying to stall. Probably he mused if he should answer her at all.

"He means exactly what he says. He believes that erasing the past is the way to the future. And as for your first question – I can't even begin to answer that."

"Hm, what an odd thing to believe in. Without the past, we wouldn't know who we are and where we came from."

"I guess it's the ultimate freedom – a completely clean slate."

"Doesn't this goes against the law and order schtick the First Order stands for?"

He raised an eyebrow. "In a sense, yes." He took another sip, looking pensive. "That's exactly what I thought – how odd that you come to the same conclusion."

Interesting. It sounded as if Hux wasn't seeing eye to eye with Ren on this. She got the feeling that this was an important piece of information, but she wasn't sure what to do with it.

She shrugged. "Well, that's probably why the audience was confused too."

He scanned her face, there was an inquisitive nature in his eyes she hadn't noticed before. Probably he was just surprised that she talked about the rally at all – after all, they had a fight the last time they spoke about ideology.

"Can I ask you something in return?"

Now it was her turn to crook an eyebrow. "Sure, fire away."

"What do you think about these rallies?"

She inhaled. Well, that was a difficult question. But the answer itself was easy. "They depress me."

"Why?"

"I'm not sure. Perhaps because they remind in a strange way of the rallies we had back home." She stirred her tea and watched the small particles left over from the tea egg spin around. "The candidates used to debate each other on holo, tried to convince the voters to vote for their ideas. It was... invigorating." She glanced at him, waiting for a sign of his anger. His lips were pressed together.

"What would the defeated candidate do?" he asked.

The question caught her by surprise. She laughed. "Well, he would concede. The majority decides and everybody had to get along, since it was what the people wanted."

"Even if they had the better arguments?"

"Of course. The only thing that matters is the majority of the votes."

"Seems inefficient to me."

She crossed her arms. "Do you really want to go down that road?"

He sighed. "No. Not really." He chewed on his lips. "It's just- I tried to convince him. But it didn't matter that my arguments made more sense. I don't understand why I didn't convince him."

That was quite a change of topic. Him? Was he again talking about his father? From what she had heard about him that was certainly possible. "What was it about?"

"A project. He changed the timetable, making it nay impossible to complete it in time." He put the cup on the desk and pinched his nose.

"Changing timetables at a whim? I bet he told you in the most inconvenient time."

He stared at her. "How did you know?"

She leaned back in her chair. Hux senior certainly was a nasty piece of work – how strange that an intelligent man like Hux hadn't seen through this abusive behaviour. "Because that's what bullies do. I tried to do an apprenticeship in a mining gear shop back in the day. The owner was a self-obsessed Mirialan, an arrogant jerk who only accepted me because he hoped that he could ogle me. When he realised that I was better than him at – well, basically everything – he started to pretend that my work was his. Then he started to give me fake deadlines, and when the customers showed up to collect their stuff, it wasn't ready."

He looked baffled. "Why would he do that? They were his customers after all."

"Because he saw me as a threat. He wanted to be the top dog, so he tried to tell me that it was my fault for not being flexible enough. He even tried to convince me that I had messed up the dates and that I should be grateful for his generosity to let me stay on."

"He needed you," Hux said in a low voice.

"Sure did. You see, from a rational sense it didn't make sense – he could've gotten much more customers and more money if he hadn't wasted so much energy to sabotage me. But it wasn't about that. It was about power."

For a moment she thought that Hux had paled, but she wasn't sure. Perhaps the light of the holo had played a trick on her eyes.

He licked his lips. "What did you do when you found out?"

"I left. What else was there? I mean I learned some stuff from him, but it was a dead end. He would have worn me down eventually."

Hux looked now positively miserable. She went to the table with the tea ingredients.

"Another cup of tea?"

He gulped and licked his lips again. "How about something stronger?"

She leaned against the table. "Your old man really did a number on you, huh?"

He grabbed his overcoat. "Yes... he did."

-o-

She watched him pour the whiskey into two glasses standing on the couch table in his quarters. He handed her a glass and they clinked them together.

"To all the stupid bastards we have left behind," she said.

He smiled a little. "Indeed."

She took a gulp, the whiskey burning in her throat, and she coughed a little. "That's the good stuff."

"Well, it isn't the Corellian whiskey from the last time. But it's good too." He looked into the glass and drank it in one go.

"Are you alright?" she asked with a frown.

He held the empty glass with the ice against his forehead. "Not really. I feel so stupid for not realising this earlier. I should have seen it."

She scooted closer to him, until their legs touched. She nudged him gently. "Don't beat yourself up. It's not easy to see through these manipulations."

"You did."

She laughed. "Yeah, eventually. But only after whining for two years about it to my sister. Truth be told, she was the one who realised it."

"No wonder that you admire her, she sounds like a great woman."

Rose nodded. "She is the best."

He leaned forward to refill the glasses, and she let her sight wander through the room. There were small figurines on the shelves across the room. She narrowed her eyes. They looked like holo chess pieces. She stood up and went over to take a closer look.


	20. Blue Screen

He put the bottle back on the table and saw her standing in front of his shelves. He let the glasses on the table and joined her.

She pointed to his figurines. "What are they?"

He took the smallest in between his fingers and turned it around. It had been a while since he had last used them. "It's an old set of chess pieces, I used to play with them in the Academy." He gave her the piece. "It's made from wood."

She looked at it before she put it back. "They look different from the chess pieces that I know."

"Most people only play three-dimensional chess, these are from a two-dimensional game."

She wandered toward his desk, looking at his shelves with commendations and replicas of different types of starships. "Were you good at it?"

He shrugged. "I was a decent player, but I haven't played in years. Can you play?"

"I used to play with Paige, but we weren't particularly good." She flashed a smile. "I was more interested in engines than games."

She stopped right before his desk and pointed at a model in the shelf next to it. "This looks like the _Finalizer_, but the layout is slightly different. Is it a sister ship?"

Again he stepped next to her and took it from the shelf. "It's the concept model of the _Finalizer_. The architects from the Corellia shipyards changed the dimensions pretty much last minute."

She took the model and held it close to her face. "Hm, the position of the ventral cannons is unusual. Wouldn't it make more sense to arrange them in a circular position?"

He looked at her, suddenly very aware of her close proximity. He felt heat pooling in his stomach; it wasn't only the whiskey. "Yes, they changed that too." He put his hand on her back.

She looked over her shoulder. He started to rub her back with his hand, slowly trailing down to her butt. She parted her lips a little and exhaled. He tenderly caressed her hip, the curve of her soft cheek, down to her thigh.

She leaned a little forward onto his desk and he moved his hand back up, cupping her ass cheek, giving it a light squeeze. He reached around her and opened her belt, he could hear her breath quicken when he opened her pants and started to pull them down to her ankles.

Seeing her bent over his desk made him hard, his heartbeat sped up as he cupped her ass again. He let his index finger wander to her tailbone. Slowly he let his finger glide over her grey panties, along her crack until he reached a hot and moist part.

She hissed with lust when he crooked his finger and started to massage her pussy. He quickly found her clit and pressed two fingers against it, making circular, rhythmic movements. She spread her legs and pressed herself against his fingers.

He was now completely hard, the tip of his cock was grinding against his boxers. He pushed his thumb against her butthole and continued to rub her clit with the index and middle finger. Her panties were now soaking wet. She moaned loudly, the sound was so intoxicating that he pressed harder, hoping to hear it once more.

Suddenly she turned around and grabbed him by the collar of his jacket, pulling him roughly towards her. Her kiss was wild, hot and passionate. She got rid of his belt and freed his erection. When she grabbed it with a firm grasp he groaned.

"Bedroom?" she panted.

He didn't even answer and started to unbutton his jacket as he crossed the room, impatient of getting rid of the clothes. He could hear her kicking the boots from her feet, getting rid of the pants. As soon as he had reached the bedroom she was behind him, pushing him on the mattress and saddling him.

She bit her lower lip as she grabbed his cock and positioned it between her legs and lowered herself on it. He grabbed her by the hips and pulled her further down. She felt incredibly hot, wet and tight. He stared at her in awe. Her dark eyes shone in the dim light like stars. Her beautiful full breasts moved with each thrust, her jet-black hair framed her pretty face like a veil. She looked like a goddess. In a matter of moments she rode him to climax.

.

-o-

.

That night he had a strange dream. He was standing on the surface of Starkiller base, staring up at the sky. He could feel the rumbling beneath his feet, the snow on the fir trees around the base fell down from the branches. Suddenly a gigantic red beam erupted right before him. The blast from the beam was so powerful that the trees bent like twigs in a storm. He could feel the burning heat on his face. The tails of his coat were fluttering behind him like black wings.

He couldn't see properly, something clouded his sight, made the beam blur. He reached up to his eyes and felt tears on his cheeks.

The shrill beeping of his alarm woke him. He was drowsy when he rubbed his eyes. There were no tears he noticed. He blinked a few times. Of course there were no tears – it had been only a dream.

A moment later he noticed the still sleeping form beside him. He leaned over her; her hair was in her face and she was silently snoring. He placed a kiss on her shoulder and she started moving.

"Huh?" she groaned.

"Morning."

She wiped her hair out of her face. "Morning."

He kissed her before he rolled off the bed. As always he headed in the bathroom to brush his teeth.

.

-o-

.

When she was back in her quarters for fresh clothes she stretched until her joints clicked. She was tired – not unsurprisingly considering that she worked late and well, had a rather short night. She dressed and did her morning routine, then she headed in the mess hall.

She looked around but she didn't see Sarith. Too bad, she was still curious about his ominous words from the other day. Tarc wasn't there either... she had to talk to her too. The way she 'happened' to be in the lift was ridiculous.

No, it wasn't just ridiculous, it was a risk to her. Despite everything, she still needed to keep a low profile. What would Hux do if rumours started to spread? Would he try to protect his reputation and transfer her away?

She finished her breakfast and brought the tray back to the service station.

Judging from the way he looked at her, the way he touched her she was fairly certain that he wouldn't want to send her away. The question was how far he would go for this... infatuation. Yes, that was the right word. They liked each other that was all – a fling because they had worked so closely together.

She had to be careful, it was dangerous to relax around him. The closer they got the more there was a risk that she would slip up one way or the other. He was letting his guard down around her, talking about private matters. That part was going according to plan... she just had to remember who he was and what he was capable of.

She strode out of the mess hall and made her way to her workplace.

The thing was... it wasn't only a question what he was capable of – it was also the question what she was capable of. She shuddered when she thought about the possibility that she would be ordered to kill Hux.

It made sense, of course, he was one of the chief architects of the First Order – he was a brilliant engineer and there was no doubt that his contributions to their technological superiority were major.

She slowed her step. If she were to kill him she could just poison his tea, kill him when he turned his back to her or while he slept. Kriff. He had left himself wide open to her. He trusted her. And she would betray him.

A lump formed in her stomach and she had to force herself to walk down to her department. No, no, that wasn't right. The galaxy was at war, she wasn't a traitor- she was a spy on a mission. She had no reason to feel bad about doing her job, damn it!

He certainly didn't feel bad about serving and enabling an oppressive regime. She thought back at the rally. He- he was a fanatic! Yes, he had gone completely off the rails because of _Lifeday_, for kriffs sake!

She lifted her chin and headed into her work space.

-o-

Rose rubbed her hands together and exhaled, her breath formed a small cloud in front of her face. Up until now she hadn't realised how cold hangars near the force field were. In the far distance she could hear tie fighters fly out of the hangar with their roaring engines.

She glanced at two pilots taking a break while their tie fighters were pulled up to the storage space above them.

One of them made eye-contact with her. "What? You think this is cold?" She laughed.

Rose shrugged. "My home planet isn't exactly Rishii either. But it's still freezing here."

The pilot laughed. "You should try to fly for hours in a tiny cockpit in open space. After a while the chilblains on your toes feel like they're getting chilblains."

The other pilot just scoffed. "Open space? Give me a break. Nothing beats a proper ice planet. The cold in space is dry, but the coldness on a planet is damp, freezing your instruments and if you fly through a snowstorm-"

"Spare us your whining," interrupted the other pilot. "It's been years since we were last on Hoth."

"Who's talking about Hoth? I'm talking about the new base."

Rose sniffled and grabbed the plasma-cleaner. "What new base?"

"The one in the 7G sector of course. After a flight there I had to unfreeze my sensor array like every time – even after a short patrol round!"

7G? So the Order was building a new base near the Ilum system? That was the first she heard about it. "Really?"

"Yeah, it's huge-"

The other pilot elbowed him. "She's a civilian, you dork! You're not supposed to talk about it!"

Rose looked from one pilot to the other, they had both fallen silent. "Come on, can't you-"

"Carry on, Specialist," said the pilot with a cutting voice and dragged her colleague away from Rose. She watched as they headed to the exit door of the hangar.

A new base... a secret new base. Well, that was interesting. She rubbed her hands once again together and started to work. About half an hour later she had cleansed the energy ducts.

-o-

She checked her work log one last time before she turned off the light in her cubicle and got up. Her stomach growled, she sure hoped they wouldn't serve stew today – but to be honest, she was starving so even when they brought back the disgusting mystery food x from a month ago she would devour it.

On her way out she saw that there was still light in Tarc's cubicle. She crossed the room and knocked on the wall.

Tarc was sitting on her chair, staring at the pad in her hand. She glanced over her shoulder and gave Rose a weak smile.

"Hey."

"Hey. Are you alright?" asked Rose.

Tarc blinked and the weak smile turned into her trademark grin. "Of course!"

Rose leaned against the wall of the cubicle. Tarc seemed strained. Well, they were all overworked. Should she confront her about last night? Or should she ask about the base? Well, she wanted to gather intel and it might not work that well after she had given her a piece of her mind about snooping.

"Today I met two pilots in the hangar, they told me about a new base somewhere in the Ilum system. Have you heard something about that?"

Tarc turned around in her swivel chair, her grin widened. "You have come to the right place, my friend."

"So you have heard about it?"

She folded her hands together. "Are you really asking me if people bitch and moan about them working on a kriffing ice planet? Please."

Rose felt a shiver run down her spine. Tarc had actually heard about the secret base? This was her chance to gather valuable intel. Now she just needed to ask the right questions. "I take it that we're safe from freezing our butts off. I mean they wouldn't send civilians there, right?"

Tarc laughed. "Of course not – we're here to replace the personnel who had been ordered to the freezing hellhole. Why do you think the Order allowed civilians into their ranks?"

Rose frowned. "All of the civilians are replacing personnel... needed at that base?" That couldn't be right, on the _Finalizer_ alone that would mean that hundreds of people were working on the base. If the whole programme to employ civilians was for the one base... "That's not possible."

Tarc smirked. "Perhaps, perhaps not. What do I know? I'm just a gossip-hogging lowly technician."

Rose had never questioned the need of the Order to hire new personnel. Had never wondered where the tech crews were that had done their jobs before they got here. So the Order was building a huge base in the 7G sector. That alone was strange enough – the Order operated mostly from their fleet and their command was stationed on dreadnaughts like the _Finalizer_. Why in the galaxy would they build a gigantic base in the Unknown Regions?

"Can I ask you something in return?"

Rose blinked, she had almost forgotten that Tarc was sitting in front of her. "Uh, what do you want to know?"

"Who are you dating?" Tarc's smile faded a little, she looked eager as she leaned forward.

Rose wasn't surprised at the question but at its bluntness. Tarc was usually a lot smoother. She cleared her throat. "I'm not sure if it's really 'dating'... but I'm seeing the engineer I told you about."

Tarc stared at her. "From the way you refuse to talk about him, he's gotta be someone important. Come on, tell me. Is it Lieutenant Luetti?"

Rose had no idea who Lieutenant Luetti was. Should she just agree? No, what was the point? She had to satisfy Tarc curiosity and at the same time she had to keep her off her track. "I don't even know who that is. No, listen... the reason why I don't want to talk about it because he asked me not to do it. I'm afraid that I'll get into trouble if I tell you." Tarc would probably offer new names, she would just nod once she mentioned someone she actually knew.

Tarc rubbed her chin. "I understand... so it's someone high up, huh?" She pointed her finger at Rose. "You look harmless, but you're a sly one. Is it Major Daavid? Or Captain Peavey?"

Peavey... she had heard that name before. Yes, now she remembered him – he had been on the bridge with Hux. She nodded.

Tarc grimaced. "So, Peavey, huh?"

Rose felt herself blush, it was humiliating to be questioned about such a private matter. And she didn't like the look on Tarc's face when she said Peavey's name. For a brief moment she wondered what Tarc would think if she knew the truth.

"Didn't know that he was an engineer though."

"Well, we meet up down in engineering – I thought it was easier to call him an engineer or a technician."

"Fair enough," said Tarc with a shrug. "I'm a bit surprised at you, Rose. I didn't think he's your type."

She blushed again. "I'm not comfortable talking about it."

Tarc chuckled. She stood up and put her arms around Rose's neck. "Aww, you're so cute." Her breath smelled of caf and cheap whiskey. "That's why I didn't think you had it in you to go fuck someone like Peavey. Somehow I thought you were the kind that would go for true love and all that shit."

Her vulgar words made Rose even more uncomfortable. She wiggled out of her embrace. "We all do what we need to do."

Tarc tilted her head a little. "Right."

Rose got the feeling that she had made a mistake, something was off, but she couldn't put her finger on it. It had been a very creepy conversation … and the way Tarc had stared at her … she felt frightened. "I'll get going," she said in a low voice.

Rose could feel Tarc's eyes on her back as she made her way out of the department.


	21. Gears in Motion

Hux stood on the bridge and paced back and forth. The battle drill with his fleet was going according to plan, like an intricate puzzle the gears of the war machine worked exactly as they should. Watching the fighter perform mock battles had an odd aesthetic quality to it – as if they were performing a dance.

Lieutenant Mitaka stood at the console and received updates from the individual ships, everybody was busy filling out their roles. Hux watched them with satisfaction – this was what the Order was about. Military efficiency and professionalism.

For a moment he wished that Rose was with him, witnessing the order and the perfection displayed by the soldiers of the First Order. He inhaled. Perhaps she would at some point understand the necessity of ruling the galaxy with a strong hand. Then they could work together on the important projects and- what was the matter with him? He had to focus.

He straightened his jacket and turned his attention to the mock battle.

-o-

He spent the afternoon working his way through reports and signing off budgets. From time to time he made the effort to check the numbers,sending messages to the head of the department to check on some odd spending. The work itself was a waste of his time, and frankly beneath him. But the psychological effect was important, of course – his subordinates didn't know that he only checked a fraction of the reports that came across his desk. Once they thought he was actually reading them in detail they tried everything in their power to make the spending bills and their reports perfect.

He scanned over the spending bill of the maintenance department, curious to see how Rose's department was doing. As he glanced over the budget, he noticed that they had spent more than projected on droid replacements parts. He rubbed his temple and crosschecked the other reports from the department.

Hm, there was no indication why they had used so much more money than in the previous quarters. He activated the holo on his desk and called Mitaka.

The small bluish holo figure of the Lieutenant appeared. "Sir?"

"Send Lieutenant Chitundu into my office. Tell her I have questions concerning her budget."

"Right away, sir."

Hux turned off the holo and poured himself a new cup of tea. Once again it had paid off to check the numbers. He pulled up Chitundu's file and glanced at her last evaluation. She was rather young, but she seemed to be thorough – at least according to her superior officer. No negative reports.

He tucked at his leather gloves. In his experience young officers were nervous enough when called to his office – there was no need to be harsh.

His father would have disagreed, of course. He pulled the corner of his mouth down. Brendol Hux had honestly believed that making his subordinates shake in fear, breaking their spirit, was the right way to lead them. Hux hated the blunt way he had used his archaic methods to install fear into those around him.

The door chimed and Hux opened it pushing of a button on his desk. He got up from his chair and clasped his hands behind his back.

A young dark-skinned woman with a shaved head entered and walked towards him. He took in how she clutched the pad in her hand, and the stiff way she walked. She was trying to appear unfazed.

She clicked her heels. "You called for me, sir." Her voice was a little too loud.

He came around his desk and closed in on her. She was tall, but he was still towering over her. "Indeed I did, Lieutenant. I checked the budget... why have you spent 48,000 credits more on droid parts than planned?"

"Sir- I- I-" She clutched her pad so hard that her knuckles turned white. "I need to check my numbers, sir."

"Take your time, Lieutenant."

She quickly typed on her datapad, her fingers trembling slightly. He waited patiently as she scrolled through the budget, the only sound in the room was her typing.

Finally she looked up from the pad. "Sir, it appea- there has been a mistake in accounting. Five invoices have been added to the droid part account instead of the chips account." She steadied herself. "Sir, I apologize for the mistake."

She didn't even try to deflect the blame, admirable. "Then re-submit the corrected budget report by the end of the week."

"Of course, sir."

For a brief moment he toyed with the idea to ask him how the programme with the civilian workers was playing out but no- that had nothing to do with the discussion they were having. "Dismissed, Lieutenant."

She saluted and turned on her heels, still holding her pad in a firm grip.

As soon as the doors had closed behind her he returned to his desk and drank tea. He had little doubt that Chitundu would double-check all her future budget reports.

The next report he read was the one from Internal Security. The general mood among the troops was good, nothing exceptional here. He searched for his name – like in the last reports there weren't any mentions concerning him or his appearance.

He jumped to the section about the civilians. It seemed that there had been a disciplinary action concerning one of the workers. Apparently the IS intended to crack down on defeatist speech. Hm, this was certainly something Rose had better to look out for – IS had punished the civilian workers by revoking their promotions or vacation. It would be a pity if Rose couldn't reunite with her family.

A quick search with her name didn't turn anything up; he wasn't particularly surprised. She was outspoken, but he doubted that she would actually complain about the Order in public. She only did that in private... to him.

She trusted him. She liked and trusted him.

.

-o-

.

Rose's heart hammered against her chest as she strode down the corridor to her quarters. She felt ill, everybody seemed to stare at her. She played her conversation with Tarc over and over in her mind. Had she slipped up somewhere? Had there been a contradiction somewhere?

Once the doors closed behind her she opened the topmost button on her uniform and took a deep breath. She let herself fall on her bed. Kriff.

Finally she had made progress and gathered real intel – and at the same time she had exposed herself. Worse was the stupid lie she had told Tarc. No, she had to calm down, to think.

She sat up and exhaled.

Tarc was her friend, a noisy, annoying friend but still... perhaps she would keep it to herself. On the other hand she loved gossip and it was highly improbable that she wouldn't tell anyone. But even if the rumour spread; what could really happen?

People would snicker behind her back – Peavey was about 15 years older than her after all. After a few weeks they would stop talking about it because neither she nor Peavey were interesting enough as gossip material.

Worst case was that somehow Tarc would realise that she had lied to her. She would keep digging until she had found the truth, satisfied her curiosity. If that happened she would either back off as soon as she realised that, well, she was seeing General Hux himself. Or the whole thing would explode in Rose's face – making Hux transfer her away and ending her mission.

Kriff, it was now beyond her control. She felt a headache coming on and she felt a little sick to her stomach. For the first time she truly felt alone. If only she could contact Paige or Poe – talk to them for a bit.

She sniffled. All she could do was follow through – do her best to gather more intel. She couldn't worry about things beyond her control, she should focus on what she could control.

-o-

She still felt queasy when she decided to head to the lab. It didn't help that she had skipped dinner. She wasn't particularly hungry, but she still regretted her decision to avoid the mess hall.

She was met with a delicious smell as soon as she stepped over the doorway. She stopped in her tracks and saw a box sitting on her workbench.

Hux looked up from his work and gave her a smile. "You seemed to enjoy the dumplings last time, so I brought some more."

She gaped at him, and looked from the box with the dumplings and back to him. She could feel a big smile spread across her lips. Without thinking she rushed over to him and hugged him.

He was startled, but after a short moment of hesitation he returned the hug. She closed her eyes and pressed her ear against his chest, she could hear his steady heartbeat, feel his warmth, and she relaxed. For a moment everything was alright. The depressing feeling of loneliness disappeared.

About a minute passed as they stood in silence, Hux rubbing her back.

"I'm sorry. I just had a shit day," she mumbled in his chest.

"Then it's a good thing that I got the dumplings."

She let go of him and quickly wiped her eyes with her sleeve. "You have no idea."

He smiled again his little, barely noticeable smile. "I prepared cool tea too."

She looked at him, he wasn't supposed to look so soft, and he certainly wasn't supposed to be so nice and considerate. Scenes from his speech came to her mind, Hux screaming and shouting about the Order's superiority. She gulped. Just tonight she would allow herself a break, just this once.

"Care to join me for dinner?" she asked.

He hesitated for a split second before he nodded. "I would love to."

They went over to the workbench and she opened the box; steam rose up in the air and she noticed that there were different dumplings in the box as well as three different sauces.

"The chef recommended shrimp and poultry dumplings in addition to the veggie ones," Hux said. He poured her a glass of cool tea.

She took the fork lying beside the box and shoved the first dumpling into her mouth, the shrimp tasted heavenly. She chewed and couldn't stop grinning. "You're the best!" she said with a full mouth.

A shadow passed over his face and his small smile faded. He looked oddly unhappy compared to moments before. Just the way his mood had darkened after she had complimented him the last time.

He didn't believe her. She felt a small stab in her heart.

She swallowed and put her hand on his. She caressed the back of his hand with her thumb. "Hey, I mean it. This is really nice of you."

The tips of his ears turned pink. "It's nothing."

She impaled another shrimp dumpling and handed him the fork. "Try this, it literally melts on your tongue."

He dunked it in the reddish sauce and took a small bite. Then another small bite. She waited for him to finish. She had noticed before that he was eating very slowly, always small cautious bites as if he expected the food to turn bad.

"So, do you want to talk about your shit day?" he asked between bites.

For a moment she was tempted. She could tell him bits and pieces... not enough that he could piece it together, but enough to let her blow off some steam. No, no, it was too risky.

"Just the usual, but today I felt kind of... I don't know. Sometimes it just feels like I'm not catching any break, like I'm never going forward."

He ate the dumpling and handed her the fork. "Hm, I know that feeling. It's like going around and around in circles. I think I can see the goal but every time I reach it, it turned out to be just a stopover. And I keep going on, waiting to reach the endpoint."


	22. Gears Clicking into Place

After he had said it out loud he realised how true this statement was. Since he was a boy he had been looking for something... some goal that he needed to reach. He watched her eat another dumpling. Odd, she was devouring the food like a starved nexu, but there was nothing disgusting about it.

There was something about her that made him come to realisations. Whenever he talked to her, it just... happened. Gradual construction of thoughts during speech. He had read about it somewhere, but he couldn't remember when or where.

She had a contemplative look on her face, no, in her eyes. As if she was looking at him, straight at him. Not at his uniform, not at his façade – at him. "You keep surprising me, you know."

"In what way?" he asked.

"I always think I know what you're going to say next, but I never get it right."

"Hm, I'm not sure if that's a good thing."

"Of course it's a good thing. I meant it in a positive way."

He chuckled dryly. "It only means that you have a rather low opinion of me – or that you assume the worst about me."

She gave him the fork and shrugged. "I don't know about that. Let's just say that you're not what I expected from a General – and before you ask: I didn't expect a General to listen to a lowly maintenance worker, much less him bringing her food... and well, being genuinely interested in her."

"You are not a 'lowly maintenance worker'. You are-" he broke off. He knew exactly what he wanted to say: She was brilliant, witty, resourceful, beautiful, but the words didn't leave his mouth. "You are you." He took a veggie dumpling.

She laughed. "Well, I can't be someone else. Of course I'm me."

"That's not something everybody can claim," he said in a quiet voice.

"I guess not everybody has the opportunity to be themselves. It requires a certain amount of freedom."

He scoffed. "Freedom? Really?"

"Sure, freedom of thought I mean. And freedom to make mistakes and learn from them."

He swallowed the last bit of the dumpling. He thought about Lieutenant Chitundu. "I concur. It's inane to assume that people don't make mistakes."

"See, again you surprise me."

He tasted the cool tea, it was a little too sweet for his taste. He grimaced. "What else should I say? I'm leading people for a long time now, I know that people make mistakes. Punishing them for it is – as already stated – inane."

She took the fork and pointed it at him. "Then why did you have a split lip a few weeks ago?"

He could feel himself pale. The sweet taste on his tongue turned into something ashen. He had forgotten about it... just as he had forgotten about the times before that.

It- it was treasonous, but he had said it himself – it was foolish to punish someone for their mistakes. Mistakes... it hadn't even been a mistake – the Supreme Leader had simply been displeased.

Slowly the gears in his brain clicked into place. Snoke wasn't a good leader, he was capricious and needlessly cruel. He changed a perfectly good timetable for no other reason than make him grovel before his feet – begging for more time.

Suddenly he felt a warm hand on his arm. "Are you alright?"

Again this question. He gulped. She really wanted to know, didn't she? "No, I'm not."

She pulled him into a hug and he pressed her against him. Her hair smelled faintly like honey, she was so warm and soft and she was holding him. By the stars, he wanted to hold her longer, until the stars blackened out.

Slowly he let go of her. She looked at him with her mesmerising dark brown eyes and he brushed a strand of hair behind her ear.

It would end. Once Starkiller was finished the civilian programme would end. The Order wouldn't need the civilian workers anymore. He felt an iron grip around his heart. She would leave him one way or the other.

In the end the Order was all he had.

He had to pull himself together, make sure she would stay as long as possible. "I'm sorry. I'm just tired."

She gave him a peck on the mouth. "You know you can talk to me, right?" She gave him a sad smile.

He sighed. "I would like that very much. But I can't."

"I understand. You can't talk about secret projects." She ate another dumpling.

"I'm afraid so."

.

-o-

.

Rose chewed slowly on the last dumpling while she watched him staring into the distance. She realised that he wouldn't talk about the secret projects – he was too professional for that. He trusted her and still he hadn't slipped up. She felt a lump in her throat. She needed to be professional too.

"Do you miss your home world sometimes?" she asked.

"Arkanis? No, not really... well, sometimes I think about it."

"It's funny, I used to hate all the ice back home – but being in space so long... I kind of miss it."

He smiled a little. "You really miss the ice and the snow?"

"I actually do. Have you ever been on a planet with so much snow that it almost makes you feel that everything is blanketed out?" She gulped and studied his face.

He rubbed his temple, looking pensive. "I have. Snow does have this odd quality that it looks soft and warm, when in truth it's hard and cold. It's deceiving."

"Were you on Hays Minor?"

"No, it was an ice planet near Ilum."

She almost sucked in her breath. There was no way that this was a coincidence. Whatever secret project he was working on – it had to do with the new base in the 7G sector.

"Hm, I was never on Ilum or any other ice planet – other than Hays Minor of course. I guess they are all the same."

"Perhaps. Are you still anxious to get back home?"

"Yeah, I mean, I still need to face my family."

He frowned. "I'm aware that you don't agree, but you know that you don't need them, right? You can be the master of your own fate."

How very Hux to see it that way. "I am." Odd that he didn't realise that he was less the master of his own fate than she was. "How about we work for a bit? I'm afraid we've neglected your projects in the past days?"

"I would like that," he said.

They quietly worked side by side. Rose built the prototype once again from scratch, checking every component before she installed it. It was a slow process, but she wasn't in a hurry.

When she checked her chronometer she realised that it was already past midnight. Damn, she would be beat the next morning.

She stretched her back. "It's late. I need to go to sleep."

"Oh?" He checked his own chronometer. "Do you want to spend the night in my quarters?" He blushed a little when he asked.

How odd, he hadn't been shy about inviting her in his bed up until now. "I'm a little too tired for sex, perhaps next time."

"Ah, yes – of course." He ran his hand through his hair. "I- I mean you can use the water shower if you want to."

Only now it fell like krayt dragon scales from her eyes. He was bashful because he wanted her to keep him company. Her throat became dry. He wanted her to stay, wanted her to keep him company. She shouldn't go – she had gathered all the intel she could. She didn't need to go with him... but she wanted to.

By the stars, she wanted to. She wanted to hear his voice. She wanted to feel him against her back, his soft breath on her neck, his arm around her. She made an attempt to shrug her shoulders casually. "Sure, that would be nice."

-o-

Her hair was still moist when they settled for the night. She was wearing one of his undershirts like in the nights before. She could have gotten clothes from her quarters of course, but for some reason she liked wearing it.

He was lying behind her, his lean body pressed against her. She wasn't sure, but it felt as if he was holding her with a firmer grip than usual. She cupped his hand with hers and stroked it gently. Their fingers intertwined.

It wasn't supposed to be this way. She wasn't supposed to be... content lying next to him. She really liked him. "Can we turn around?" she asked quietly.

He didn't answer, instead he just let go of her hand and turned. She spooned up to him, buried her face between his shoulder blades, inhaled his scent and put her arm around his chest. It wasn't supposed to be like that.

It wasn't supposed to hurt so much.


	23. Reverse Conclusion

He lay in the darkness, listening to her deep breaths as she slept. Her arm was still around him, holding him. For the first time in his life he was terrified. Truly terrified. He had been scared when he had asked her to use his shower – what an embarrassing, feeble thinly veiled attempt to bribe her to stay with him. What if she had laughed? Looked at him with pity in her eyes?

Yet she came and they had showered together, she had been chuckling and had washed his hair, telling him over and over again how much she liked it. And all he could think was how strange it was – that a woman like her would say these things, look at him with this soft expression in her eyes.

What if- what if she meant what she said?

He had been hot and cold at the same time, unable to avert his gaze. Thinking over and over again 'I love you', the words choking him, making him nervous and ill. He loved her so much that his chest hurt. He wanted to kiss her, whisper in her ear, tell her how brilliant, strong and beautiful she was... but he simply couldn't.

He didn't know how. Every time he imagined telling her it sounded silly, weak. Ridiculous.

-o-

The next few days were a blur, he got up, inspected troops, read reports, requested status updates on Starkiller and headed into the lab. It felt like he was only really awake when he was with her.

"Tomorrow is the day," she said. "I'm still torn about it."

"I'm certain it will turn out just fine. Your family has to acknowledge that you did it for them."

She smiled weakly as she put down the hydro-spanner on the work-bench. "I hope you're right."

He briefly wondered if she would mention him. No, of course she wouldn't... her family didn't like her working with the Order, they certainly wouldn't approve of- No, she wouldn't tell them.

What was the matter with him? Why was he even wasting time musing about that?

"What's up with you? You seem distracted." She nudged him in the upper arm.

"Well, I just thought about you being away I- perhaps I'll take a break from the project too," he said with a halting voice.

"You don't have to on my account, you know."

He brushed a strand of her non-regulatory hair behind her ear and gave her a peck on the mouth. "How could I possibly make any progress without you?"

She pulled him down for another peck. "You have managed without me before – so I doubt that's entirely true."

"Barely."

"You flatterer!" she nudged him again and returned to the work-bench.

He was about to turn his attention back on his schematics when his holo started to beep. With a frown he activated it.

Captain Phasma's figure appeared. "Sir, there is a situation with the new platoon of Stormtroopers. I'm aware that it's late – but I assume that you want to handle this personally."

It had to be serious if Phasma called him directly. "What is it about?"

"FN-2187 botched an assignment, he refused an order."

He frowned. How was that possible? The Stormtroopers were raised and bred to follow orders; and FN-2187 had exceptional evaluations up until now. "I see. Thank you for informing me, Captain. I assume that you're in the barracks?"

"Yes, sir."

"I'm on my way."

He ended the call and turned to face Rose. She had an unusually serious expression on her face. "I'm afraid this could take longer," he said.

"Okay, I'll head back to my quarters."

He put his leather gloves on. "See you later."

-o-

Phasma waited for him at the entrance to the barracks. Despite the late hour her armour looked as spotless as always.

"What happened?" he asked.

"A mission for Lord Ren, sir. They were to scour a village on Behpour for an informant. FN-2187 had the lead."

Hux pulled FN-2187 file up on his pad. His memory had served him well, the evaluations were indeed very good. "And he refused to search the village?"

"Not exactly, the platoon was supposed to raid the village and execute everybody resisting the search. He refused to shoot the armed villagers. After initial confusion his second-in-command took over and finished the mission."

He frowned. "I want to talk to him before you send him to re-education."

"Yes, sir, right this way."

She led him to a detention cell in the back of the barracks. The Stormtrooper guarding it stood at attention and left at the sign of Phasma.

Hux opened the cell and stepped inside. FN-2187 was sitting on the floor, still wearing his dirty sand covered armour from Behpour. He had pulled his helmet off and had his face buried in his hands.

"On your feet, soldier," snapped Hux.

FN-2187 jerked his head up and stumbled to his feet. He was shorter than Hux, but obviously more muscular. He stood at attention. "Sir!"

Hux clasped his hands behind his back. "I'm told you disobeyed a direct order."

"Yes, sir."

"So you don't deny this insubordination?"

"No, sir."

"And why did you refuse to obey?"

FN-2187 hesitated for a moment, then he lifted his chin and stared him right in the eye. "Because I'm not a murderer."

Hux narrowed his eyes. "We are at war! Your orders were to exterminate any armed Resistance!"

FN-2187 gulped, a thin film of sweat visible on his face. "That was no armed Resistance – just some farmer's kids with ancient blasters. They couldn't even shoot straight."

Phasma hadn't mentioned that there had been children. "It's not your place to question your orders, all you have to do is follow them."

"With all due respect, sir, I have followed every order up until now – and I will follow the orders in the future as long as they do not involve murdering innocent people."

Hux grimaced. "There are no innocent people in this galaxy, soldier."

FN-2187's mouth twitched. "If you say so, sir."

"I take it that you disagree?"

"It is not my place to disagree," he pressed out.

It was the right answer of course, but it irked Hux – it clearly wasn't the soldier's opinion. "The First Order took you in, trained and raised you and still you question the Supreme Leader? How dare you?"

"I just couldn't do it, sir. I thought that you would understand."

That last bit took Hux completely by surprise. "What?"

"The troops talk, sir. We know that you ordered a retreat from Haluria to protect the Delta Fleet from total destruction – against the Supreme Leaders wishes."

"I fail to see the connection between your insubordination and my strategic decisions as General."

FN-2187 remained silent.

Hux was at a loss for words. FN-2187 was right about Haluria, but he hadn't disobeyed the Supreme Leader... Snoke just didn't have all the necessary information to make an informed decision. His mouth felt dry. "You will be sent to re-education, soldier."

He turned on his heel and left the cell. Phasma was waiting outside.

"Anything, sir?"

"Send him to re-education, Captain. It seems he didn't follow the orders because he thought they weren't just."

Phasma scoffed. "He's still young, sir. He'll learn eventually. I recommend that we put him in sanitation for a couple of months for good measure."

"Yes," Hux said in a low voice.

Phasma saluted and left. Hux slowly made his way to the turbo lift.

He had disagreed with the Supreme Leader and he had paid for it... but he didn't regret it. He had been right; but that meant in reverse conclusion that Snoke had been wrong. But he was the Supreme Leader because he saw the bigger picture. As his General he was supposed to follow him, not question him.

Yet he had done so, the last time when he had openly disagreed with him about the targets of Starkiller. The Naboo system... billions of people on every planet.

Was this really the price they had to pay for galactic peace?

.

-o-

.

Rose yawned as she put in the code to her quarters. The door slid open and revealed a mess; her bed sheets were pulled off her bed and had been thrown on the floor. The mattress had been slid open, all her belongings had been pulled out of their drawers and their cupboard.

She stepped inside, staring in disbelief at her room. Suddenly her hackles rose and she realised that someone was standing behind her.

"Specialist Phan I presume?" rang a male voice out.

She closed her eyes for a moment. Internal Security. A shudder of cold fear ran down her spine. She slowly turned around to face them.

Sure enough there was a tall, olive-skinned man in white uniform standing behind her. Two Stormtroopers were standing next to him.

"Yes?"

"We have questions, Specialist. Please come with us."

She made an effort to arrange her face into a neutral mask, but she was pretty sure that they saw right through her. This was it – she had slipped up.

They led her to the security department on deck 2. She frantically tried to think where she had made a mistake – but the only thing that came to mind was the lie she had told Tarc.

Tarc... she had seen her and Sarith just hours ago, they both had acted like always – asking her whether she wanted to play Sabacc with them. Sarith's ominous words from a few days ago came to mind again – she had never had the chance to ask him what he had meant by that …

"Sit, please," said the IS officer in a calm voice.

She sat down on the chair and tried to calm her racing thoughts.

"I'm Minder Ayar," he said again in his calm, deep voice. "Do you know why you're here?"

"No, I don't."

"Then why are you scared?"

"You're IS... I've heard stories and I'm frightened."

He sat down across from her. "Well, let's get to the case: according to our informant you claimed that you are pursuing a relationship with Captain Peavey. Now... why would you lie about that?"

She kneaded her hands. "Well... I- my friend was asking me who I was seeing and when she suggested a few names I just kind of told her that it was Peavey to get her off my back."

"Why did you ask about the Ilum system?"

They even knew about her questions concerning the new base? She felt a lump forming in her stomach. Only Tarc knew about it. "I worked in a hangar and two pilots mentioned it to me, I hadn't heard about a new base and so asked about it. I was curious."

"What were the pilot's names?"

"I don't know. I worked on power junction TQ-900 in hangar 37. They were waiting for their TIE fighters to be pulled in storage. We just chatted. One of the pilots complained about the coldness and ice in general and they mentioned that they had to defreeze their system a lot at the new base."

Ayar checked something on his pad. No doubt he was cross-referencing her story with her work log. Rose gulped. It wasn't over yet. She could still survive this – she just had to stick to her story. That and her cover had to hold up under IS scrutiny.

Minutes passed and Ayar was still absorbed in his pad. Rose continued kneading her hands. The silent treatment was probably a strategy to make her nervous. It worked.

Suddenly Ayar put his pad down and leaned back in his chair. "So you never actually met Captain Peavey?"

"I did meet him once on the bridge. I had to do some repairs at a station and I heard his name mentioned. That's why I said that it was him, because it was the only name I knew."

"If we were to question him right now... would he corroborate your story?"

"Yes. I doubt he would even know my name, though."

Ayar stared at her. She half-expected him to check his pad again. But instead he smiled, it was a toothy, dishonest smile. "Who are you meeting if it's not Peavey?"

There it was, the question she had been expecting. She had to tell them. "General Hux."

The fake smile on Ayar's lips froze. He grabbed the pad and typed something on it. He was probably trying to win time to process what he had heard. Probably trying to figure out if she was lying and if she didn't to determine how he should proceed.

Rose had no idea how far the arm of Internal Security reached. But she doubted that they could touch Hux. Of course that didn't mean that they couldn't harm her if they decided to do away with her.

Finally he looked up from the pad, chuckling. "You expect me to believe that General Hux would bother with a lowly maintenance worker? With someone like _you_?"

"Yes." She was annoyed by his arrogance, the same arrogance she had met in her entire life. Yes, _she_ – the ordinary woman, the short, slightly chubby nerd. Suddenly she knew exactly what he would say next; he would belittle her, insult her appearance. The trembling in her hand stopped and she held his gaze. She knew this type.

"You almost had me going for a second, Specialist Phan. But you overplayed your hand – there is no way a man like General Hux would deign to consort with a-"

The door behind Ayar slid open; he broke off in mid-sentence and jerked his head around. Hux stepped inside the interrogation room; he looked pale and the way his lips were set to a thin line suggested that he was angry.

Rose had never in her life been so relieved to see anyone. Ayar on the other hand didn't look happy; he jumped up.

"Have you concluded your questioning of Specialist Phan?" Hux asked.

Ayar straightened himself. "Sir, she claims that-"

"Yes, we are seeing each other. Any other questions?"

"No, sir."

Hux turned his attention towards her. His whole expression softened. "Shall we?"

She got up and didn't look at Ayar as she followed Hux out of the room.


	24. Prepender

"Are you alright?" he asked as soon as the doors of his quarters had closed behind them. On their way to his rooms they hadn't talked, Rose had been tense.

She pulled him into a hug. "I was scared."

He returned the hug, massaging her back softly. "I'm sorry." He should have told her to look out for IS.

She looked up. "I'm so stupid. I told a co-worker a silly lie… because I didn't want her to know about us."

His heart sank. "What?"

She seemed to notice. "It's just that I thought that would make things complicated. For both of us. It was stupid." Rose cupped his face. "I really do like you."

She was right of course. It made everything complicated now that IS knew about them. He felt a stab in his heart. He placed a kiss on the top of her head. "Do you want to stay for the night?"

She nodded and they kissed each other, holding each other for what seemed like an eternity.

-o-

That night Hux dreamed again of Starkiller, the red-hot beam erupting from the ground made the ground sake, burned the tips of the trees. He woke two hours before his alarm would have beeped.

He sat up in the bed, wiping away the cold sweat on his forehead. He looked at Rose sleeping next to him and he choked up. This was it, the last time he could see, smell and touch her. He had little doubt that the report from the IS officer had reached one of his rivals in the fleet – or even Kylo Ren.

He had known of course – the moment when he had heard that Rose had been detained he knew that the only way of getting her out of that interrogation room was to admit their relationship. Ren would know soon.

It was only a matter of time until the rumours had spread in the whole fleet. He had saved her and in doing so he had painted a target cross on her back. She would get hurt and it was his fault.

It had to end.

He lay down and snuggled up to her, holding her as if he could stop her slipping away from him. He could feel tears sting in his eyes.

He would discharge her once she had left for Hays Minor; it was cowardly not to tell her... but what was he supposed to say? That he loved her and sent her away anyway? That it broke his heart to pretend that they would see each other again? No, he couldn't say it. Weak. Ridiculous.

.

-o-

.

The next morning she woke up before him; after all, she still had to clean up the mess in her quarters and pack for her journey to Hays Minor. The ship would leave at 08:00.

She was still exhausted from the events from last night. She had even dreamed about it, she had been locked in a room without windows. Only Ayar and Paige had been there, staring silently at her.

Hux was still sleeping while she quietly dressed. She went over to his side and bent down, giving him a light peck on the mouth. He mumbled something in his sleep, but she couldn't understand it. She looked at him, he looked handsome with the mussed up hair, with the relaxed expression on his face. In this moment she knew that it wasn't just a fling, not a crush nor an infatuation. She had fallen in love with him. She sat down on the bed and petted his hair for a few moments.

Then she got up, blinked a few times and left.

There was a lump in her stomach, she wasn't sure if she was still anxious about her encounter with IS or if it was the feeling of finality when she had left Hux' quarters.

-o-

It took her an hour to roughly clean up her tiny room and half an hour to pack the few items she actually needed for the trip. When she checked her chronometer she realised that she still had time for a quick breakfast.

She quickly headed to the mess hall and grabbed a bowl of porridge. From far she saw Sarith and Tarc sitting at their usual spot. She squared her shoulders and headed right towards them.

Sarith saw her and greeted her with a friendly smile, Tarc glanced over her shoulder whom Sarith was greeting and blanched when she set her eyes on Rose.

Rose put her tray down. "Morning."

"Morning," said Sarith. "Today is the day, huh?"

"It sure is." She started to eat her porridge, ignoring Tarc who had lost her appetite, her half-eaten toast forgotten on her plate.

They sat in silence, then Sarith excused himself and left.

"I tried to warn you," said Tarc after a few moments. "We all do what's necessary to survive."

"You could have killed me. If only a tiny bit of my story hadn't checked out…" she paused.

"I'm not asking for your forgiveness. My hunch was right," said Tarc with an edge to her voice. "You were meeting someone, but it wasn't that slime Peavey. Otherwise I wouldn't have gotten my usual payment."

Usual payment? So Tarc had been an informant before? "Sarith knows that you are a snitch, doesn't he? He tried to warn me."

Tarc shrugged. "I guess he found out after he didn't get that promotion. Strange one, that Sarith. He didn't even confront me."

"He thinks that this place corrupted you - perhaps he thinks that you're a good person who has made a mistake," said Rose.

Tarc laughed, it was a guttural, scornful sound. "And here I thought he knew me."

Rose felt uneasy, sad. Why hadn't she seen Tarc for what she was? "So you did it only for the money?"

Tarc laughed again, it sounded joyless. "Really? 'Only for the money'? That's the only valid reason in my book. I have to take care of myself, nobody else does. It's just like I have told you: Life is shitty, there is no point in making it harder for yourself."

Rose looked at Tarc. There she sat, grinning at her. As if she was waiting for something. Did she want her to get angry, yell at her?

There was nothing more to say. Rose got up. "I think we're finished."

Tarc's grin vanished, she grabbed Rose roughly by her arm. "You really think you're better than me, huh?" she hissed, sounding desperate. "Playing innocent but fucking someone high enough to get rid of IS. Well, at least you had fun while it lasted – from what I gather he was good in the sack."

She tore her arm away. "You got to drag everybody down in the mud, don't you? Because you can't stand the thought that there are actually people with values in the galaxy."

Tarc grimaced. "Oh, no, what a burn! Will you tell me next that you pity me and my black soul?"

Rose shook her head. "Of course not. You didn't rat me out to survive, you did it to get money. You knew exactly what you were doing, you just didn't care what would happen. Why should I pity you?" She took her tray and left.

-o-

The flight to Hays Minor had been long and tedious. She had to change the transport four times and hadn't eaten all day. When she finally inhaled the cold, fresh wind of her home world she perked up, with a firm grasp she took her duffle bag and headed to the exit of the space port.

From far away she would see her 'family' – three Resistance fighters posing as her father, mother and uncle and Paige – waiting for her. She let go of the duffle bag and ran towards Paige, snow crunching under her boots, and hugged her with all her might.

Paige embraced her so hard that it almost hurt. Rose started to sob and buried her face in Paige's parka.

"Ro, you're finally back!" Paige whispered. "You stupid jerk! You had me worried for months!"

"You know me, I'm too much to handle – even for the First Order."

They let go of each other, Rose wiped her tears away with the back of her gloves. She sniffled.

"Come on, let's get you home – and out of this horrible uniform," said Paige.

"Can't wait," said Rose with a nervous smile. Seeing Paige alive and well after all this time was an incredible relief... but a part of her hoped that she wouldn't learn what exactly she had done to gather intel.

As soon as she entered the small house in the outskirts of the main city, she exhaled and threw the duffle bag on the floor. "Please tell me that you have prepared some food."

Paige hugged her from behind and squeezed her. "What kind of question is that? Of kriffing course I wouldn't let my baby sister starve to death."

Poe Dameron entered the vestibule with a bowl of steaming bogweed noodles. "I'm told that this is your favourite dish?"

"Let me get out of this uniform and into something that isn't a monochrome colour," said Rose with a broad smile on her lips.

While she changed in a room upstairs she could hear the beeping of bug detectors and whispered orders. They were making sure that she hadn't been followed.

When she came downstairs Poe and Paige were sitting at the table, the other Resistance members were nowhere to be seen. She literally inhaled the noodles and mere minutes later she had finished eating.

She knew that Poe was probably anxious to learn what intelligence she had gathered, so she wasted no further time. "First things first: The reason why the Order hired civilians is that they're building a huge base with a secret weapon in sector 7G; it's on one of the ice planets near the Ilum sector."

Poe nodded eagerly. "Did you learn anything about the weapon itself?"

"No, unfortunately not. But judging from the buzz in the Weapon Development Department they haven't finished yet."

He rubbed his chin. "Judging from the scale and the risk of the civilian programme it must be one of the biggest projects the Order has ever undertaken. And now we have a location! That's great work, Rose! I knew that you could pull it off!"

Paige hugged her again. "I'm so proud of you! I'm still mad at you for going in the first place, but damn!"

"You need to write down everything about their protocols – I bet you can write whole books on FO communications and their weaknesses," said Poe.

"Eh, I don't know about that. But I can write a trilogy about their sewer system and-" and about a certain General. She started to feel unwell.

Paige and Poe seemed to notice that she was struggling, they both waited patiently for her to continue.

"I worked-" She broke off again. "I did what I had to do."

"Whenever you are ready," said Poe in a calm voice.

She gulped. "I tried to do what you advised me to do, Poe: Keeping a low profile and trying to be invisible." She smiled nervously. "In the first few weeks it worked – but …" she broke off.

Paige took her hand and squeezed it softly.

Rose took a deep breath. Then she started talking.


	25. Melting Point

In the evening Hux went to the lab, but he left after an hour. It wasn't the same without her. He briefly mused about returning to his quarters, but he felt restless.

The feeling of the scabbard of his monomolecular blade on his right forearm didn't help. It felt uncomfortable. He had to resist the urge to touch it, to adjust it. It had been a long time since he had felt the need to carry the hidden weapon in his sleeve.

He decided to visit the officer's mess for a tea. The view from the viewport would prove interesting enough.

After he had ordered his tea, he scanned the room with his eyes. Only a few officers where present, they looked tired, the chatter was quiet. He relaxed a little and pulled his data pad out of his coat's pocket. He searched for Rose Phan's file.

He didn't bother to read the file itself, instead looking at her picture. She looked unusually serious, almost sad. He suddenly wished he had another picture of her, one in which she looked more like herself.

Suddenly his heckles rose and a voice behind him rang out. "Are you missing your girlfriend, General?"

Ren. How in the name of the Emperor had he managed to sneak up to him? Again he felt the weight of the scabbard of his monomolecular blade on his arm. Hux slowly put the pad down and turned in his seat. Ren stood right behind him, wearing his trademark robes and his silly mask. "Lord Ren. It seems that the IS didn't waste any time to spread rumours."

Ren rounded his chair and sat down across from him. "So you don't deny it?"

Hux shrugged. "What's there to deny? Did you think that I would turn red like a cadet?"

Judging from the silence that followed Hux had guessed right. He briefly wondered how old Ren was. He certainly acted like a youngling. He himself would probably be ashamed of a rumour that he had relations. Hm, interesting.

"It's just that I'm surprised at you, General. I thought you were a man of taste. Instead you chose a chubby little nobody."

Hux gritted his teeth and glared at Ren. Cheap provocation was all he was capable of. Well, now that Ren had revealed his own inexperience and insecurity, Hux could provoke him in return. "She chose me to be honest. I assume you are not familiar with that concept."

Of course Ren got angry. He leaned forward and hissed: "There are plenty of women who want me."

Hux raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything.

Ren slammed his fist on the table, and some of Hux's tea sloshed over the rim of the mug on the table. "You're lucky that Snoke needs you, Hux. I have killed for lesser insults."

"Every word you utter betrays you, Ren. You're nothing but an overgrown boy who hides behind a mask."

Ren jumped up. "Unfortunately I can't touch you, Hux, but I can touch what is yours."

Hux gave him a thin smile. "You don't understand, Ren. She was never _mine_, and now she's gone." He took the cup of tea from the table and used a napkin to clean the spilled liquid. "Did you honestly think that I would let her be a bargaining chip in a power play?"

Ren stood completely still, then suddenly huffed. "I can sense your feelings. You love her."

"Yes, I do, more than you can imagine." It felt strange to admit it out aloud. At the same time it was liberating.

Ren stood awkwardly in front of him, probably unsure how best to make a dramatic exit. Strangely enough he didn't seem angry anymore. "But you let her go…"

"I did. It was inevitable – have you ever looked closely at us, Ren? Do you honestly think that a decent being would stay with us? I always knew she would leave me eventually. All IS did was accelerating the process."

Ren still stood there, breathing loudly, unable to sit down or leave. Hux took a sip of his tea.

"I had a vision about a woman. She is strong in the Force and our fates are intertwined," said Ren in a low voice. "My master says that she is destined for me."

"She is some kind of prize to you, then?"

Ren tilted his head a little. He hesitated for a moment. "Yes."

Had Snoke honestly promised Ren a mystery woman? And Ren had fallen for this manipulation? He must be more simple-minded than he had- no, not simple-minded. Young, inexperienced.

A question was on the tip of his tongue: 'Since when did Snoke procure lovers for his underlings?' Hux grimaced. No, he wasn't supposed to think that. Snoke saw the bigger picture... didn't he? Even if that involved promising his apprentice a woman like a-

Hux pinched his nose. He tried to get rid of the traitorous thoughts. He noticed that Ren was still standing there.

"Anything else?" Hux asked.

Ren scoffed and left in a huff. Hux watched as he stalked out of the officer's mess.

.

-o-

.

When she had finished her tale, nobody said a word. The silence weighted Rose down like a clammy wet blanket. She felt cold and her chest hurt as if it was difficult to breathe. She had to pull through, she had been given a mission.

She lifted her chin and looked straight at Poe. Professional, she needed to be professional. "My mission was a success, Commander."

He seemed to pick up her sentiment. "Indeed it was, Sergeant Tico. Thank you for your service."

"Thank you, sir."

He got up from the table and gave her a snappy salute. "I'll write the report for General Organa. You can look over it and put in corrections at your discretion."

So he was giving her a way out, the chance to rewrite some of the events. Poe meant well, but changing even the smallest detail would imply that she was ashamed of her actions. That she was ashamed that she had slept with Hux. If only it were so easy. "Thank you, Commander."

Poe left, leaving Rose and Paige alone at the table. Rose exhaled. "I need fresh air. Care to join me?"

Paige nodded. "Let's go out in the back."

Rose grabbed a thick dark green parka – she assumed it belonged to her 'mother' and put it on. Paige grabbed her own coat and they headed out.

It was dark outside, the sky was clear and she could see the twin moons and the stars. The snow glittered in the pale moonlight, the light from the house illuminated the backyard in a warm light.

"I never thought I would actually miss snow," said Rose.

"I still don't miss it." Paige gestured towards the frozen ground. "Everything is dead here. D'Qar on the other hand is life."

"I guess it's true."

They both looked up to the moons, small clouds of breath formed every time they breathed. Paige's presence had a soothing effect on Rose. Whenever she was near her sister it felt like everything would just work out.

"I'm glad that you're back in one piece." Paige kissed her on the forehead. "I love you, Ro."

Rose gave her sister a sad smile. "I'm sorry that you had to worry about me."

"Well, now I know how you feel when I'm going on a mission. How do you feel?"

"I'm embarrassed." The words came out of her mouth before she had even time to think. "I was afraid that you would- I didn't want you to hear about it."

Paige embraced her. "There is nothing to be embarrassed about. You did what you needed to do for the mission. Sleeping with- with Hux was necessary."

Rose felt an iron grip around her heart, she hugged Paige back. "What if it wasn't?" She said in a low voice against Paige's chest.

"I- I don't understand."

Rose let go of Paige. "I wanted it – by the stars, I was the one taking the first step." She buried her face in her hands. "I didn't have to do it for the mission, we were working together just fine... I- kriff."

Paige embraced her again. She waited for Rose to continue.

"You can't tell anyone," Rose whispered. "But I really like him, and may the Force forgive me, I miss him."

Paige was silent for a moment, then she asked: "Did you feel bad about spying on him?"

"No, I didn't. That's what's making this so kriffing embarrassing. It's not some weird psychological thing – I always knew that what I was doing was right. I always knew that my priorities were. And still... I genuinely started to like him. Like… a lot."

"Then I guess he has some redeeming qualities." Paige said with a small sigh. "You're too smart to fall for some jerk."

"He has. Obviously I can't tell the others. Some of them wouldn't understand that one can like somebody but still do what's necessary for the greater good."

"No, I guess not. Will you change something in the report Poe's going to show you?"

"No. I want to tell the truth, at least to the point that concerns them. As far as my emotions go... I'm not an idiot. I know that it can't go on forever."

"If you really feel that way it's not going to be that easy.""

Rose chuckled and let go of Paige. "Of course not. I truly miss him and- well, we both are who we are. My eyes are too wide open to ignore the state of the galaxy and he is too blind to see where the Order is headed."

"Sounds like regret."

"Oh, you have no idea. He's such a brilliant engineer, he's loyal and he's got integrity – but he uses his talents for the wrong people. And it makes me angry, why doesn't he see them for what they are?"

Paige crouched down, took a handful of snow and formed it into a snowball. "Most of the officers were raised by the Order. They were indoctrinated." She threw the snowball towards a small snow mound. "I know that you don't want to hear it. But he is a fanatic like the rest of them."

Rose grabbed a handful of snow and made her own snowball. She threw it into the same direction, like Paige. "I know. It still makes me angry. And it makes me sad." Her hands were prickling from the cold, so she rubbed them together.

"You can't save everyone in the whole wide galaxy, Ro." Paige buried her hand deep inside her pockets.

Rose didn't answer. She watched once again the black sky above her. Kriff, she really wanted to hold him one last time, smell his scent... kiss him.


	26. Sloppy Solder Job

Hux dreamt again about Starkiller. Again he was standing there, watching the trees bend and break as the deadly red ray erupted from the ground. Suddenly he heard voices behind him, then he blinked the moisture in his eyes away and turned.

Suddenly he was standing in Snoke's throne room. Snoke sat on his throne, Kylo Ren knelt in front of him. Snoke was whispering something in Ren's ear. All of a sudden it wasn't Snoke on the throne but Brendol Hux, resting his large meaty hand on Kylo Ren's shoulder.

With a gasp Hux woke up. He sat up and put a hand on his chest – his heart was racing. He looked at her side of the bed, it was empty, of course. By the stars, how he wished she was there... just to hold him one last time.

He got up and went into the refresher, squinting as the lights went on. He opened the taps and washed his face, his heartbeat slowing down. He returned to bed and lay awake, staring at the ceiling.

Had she already received the notice of termination? Did she think that he had tired of her and simply wanted to get rid of her? Kriff, he should have sent her a personal note... somehow. What was she thinking about him? Perhaps nothing... perhaps she was glad that she didn't have to return to him anymore. But the way she had looked at him, told him that she liked his hair...

He should have at least taken a picture of her, something to remember her by. He closed his eyes, remembering her in the lab, the beautiful gleam in her dark eyes, and the kind smile on her lips. Perhaps Kylo had been right... why by the seven gates of chaos had he sent her away?

A lump formed in his throat. Because it had been necessary, for her safety. But he could have waited a bit longer... so that he could feel and taste her before she left.

Just once, he wished he could just see her once again.

-o-

He buried himself in work the next day, inspecting troops, reading reports, approving plans and designs, checking on the progress of the First Order war campaign. But despite his best efforts he couldn't silence the gnawing doubt that had infected his mind.

He pulled up FN-2187's file and re-read all his progress reports since he joined the Stormtrooper programme. The perfect soldier, intelligent, resourceful and strong... raised to follow orders and he still disobeyed. Because he didn't want to be a 'murderer'.

Hux had to admit that he understood the sentiment. What was the point of killing villagers on some backwater planet? It was bound to destroy any sense of righteousness the soldiers might have – they were fighting to end the chaos in the galaxy.

'It's them or us, boy,' had his father said on countless occasions. 'It's war. People are cattle to be ruled or to be killed.'

Hux had always found the comparison over-simplifying. It was true that they were at war, but the Order was supposed to bring stability. It would be more logical to try to convince people that they would benefit from the new order. He wasn't aware of any outreach beyond the usual propaganda events directed at the Order personnel. Odd.

Come to think of it – what kind of government would Snoke implement once the war was won? The Old Empire had an extensive bureaucratic apparatus that had been built by the Galactic Republic, they had a decentralised system of governors for each sector. Where would this structure come from when they simply blew up one star system after another? What was the endgame?

He could feel a headache coming on. Kriff. He really shouldn't muse about these questions. His thoughts returned – as so often of late – to Rose. He felt that she could provide clarity... she always did. Like back then with the umbrell- with the floating phase-shield. Or when he was fixated on getting tech into the small MSE-6 droid. He was lost in the details, he needed to take a step back, look at the bigger picture.

He got up from his desk and started pacing in his office.

Snoke wanted to rule, his motivation wasn't bringing peace and prosperity to the galaxy. He seemed single-minded obsessed with the Force and Force-users. He had never talked about his post-war plans, never even mentioned the possibility that it could end.

Hux had imagined that Starkiller would be the ultimate deterrent, making all system bow to the First Order thus stopping the war at once. But if Ren spoke the truth, then Snoke intended to wipe out all planets with Jedi history... Ren was many things, but he wasn't a liar. And there is of course the 'let the past die' mantra.

Hux froze in his tracks, he felt ill. Was this the future that awaited? The First Order fleet floating through the galaxy like a dark cloud, killing everything that Snoke thought was a slight or a threat to him. Be it a world with Jedi relics, a band of rebels or planets on a whim – like Naboo?

A shiver ran down his spine. He shouldn't think like that, he should trust Snoke to know what was best.

.

-o-

.

When Rose came down the stairs the next morning, she noticed immediately the tense atmosphere in the small kitchen. Her 'mother' and 'father' were busy fixing breakfast, talking quietly to each other, only stealing glances at Rose.

Poe beamed at her and lifted two cups with caf. She returned the smile and grabbed one of the cups. "I would like to skip the small talk part – care to tell me what's going on?" she asked while adding sweetener to her caf.

"Alright, it's rather straightforward anyway. We intercepted a transmission from the _Finalizer_ – they're terminating your contract."

Rose gaped at him. "What?"

"No further explanation. We assume that Hux is behind it."

She lifted her chin. "I want to see the message."

Poe handed her a pad; she quickly read the message. 'Specialist Phan, your contract has been prematurely terminated as per section 1c in your contract. Signed: FO Work Force Department.'

She lowered the pad. Poe was right, it must have been Hux. If IS had any reason to suspect her they wouldn't just fire her, they would lure her back to interrogate her.

"That's good news – that makes it easier to let Rose Phan disappear," said Poe.

"True, but perhaps I could have found out more," she said in a quiet voice.

Poe narrowed his eyes. "Rose – there was no chance that I would let you go back after your intermezzo with Internal Security. I have little doubt that they would have had their eyes on you."

"Right." Poe was right of course. She had known that there was a high possibility that she would never return to the _Finalizer_. The memory of her hand running through his ginger hair flashed up, his lips on hers... She should have said good-bye. He must have known too, he probably gave the order the minute her shuttle was out of sight.

She felt a stab in her heart. Of course it was over – but she realised that the finality of it hadn't hit her up until now. She would never see him again. Never work or drink tea with him again, never find out if he would have liked bogweed noodles. Tears stung her eyes.

She blinked and forced herself to smile. "So, what's next?"

Poe scanned her face for a moment, then he returned the smile. "We have to find the base, of course, and send a recon team – whatever they're building there, it can't be good for us."

Rose nodded. "Tell me if I can help in any way."

He put his hand on her shoulder and squeezed it. "You should get some rest first, we will return to D'qar tonight." He gestured towards the Resistance members posing as her parents. "They will stay for a while to check if someone is coming after you."

Rose only nodded.

-o-

The following days were quite slow; Rose settled back in her old quarters in D'qar. Since her mission had been top secret her colleagues in repairs didn't ask her questions about her absence – and she was glad. She wanted to forget the odd familiarity she had acquired in the last few months. The routine in the morning, the casual chatter with Tarc... and the nights in the lab.

To her dismay, her thoughts continued to return to Hux, despite her best efforts. She could hardly repair a propulsion system without thinking about the night in the hangar, couldn't look at a circuitry without imagining his caustic comment on the sloppy solder job.

Paige seemed to notice, as Rose caught her staring at her with this strange expression on her face. But she didn't dare to ask, and Rose didn't dare to tell her. What was there to say anyhow?

One night she lay awake. This wasn't supposed to last so long, why couldn't she just... move on? Forget about him. Or perhaps she should inoculate herself against her feelings? She knew that the Resistance had recordings of Hux' speeches. What if she were to watch them, remind herself who he really was?

But she already knew who he was. He was a kind, considerate man with the softest hair. She choked up, turning to face the wall; Paige was sleeping across from her in her own bunk – she didn't want Paige to hear her. She sniffled silently as tears rolled down her cheeks. Why did it hurt so much? Why couldn't she just forget about him?

-o-

About a week after she had returned, Poe came to her. She was about to test the propulsion of one of the X-wings, but she immediately stopped with her work once she saw the tense expression on his face.

"Did you find it?" she asked breathlessly.

"Not here," said Poe in a low voice. He strode out of the hangar back into the Command Centre. Rose followed him, wiping her oily hands on her overall.

Once the door had slid shut and the security protocol had been activated, Poe turned to face her. "We found the base – and it's worse than we thought." He activated the projector and displayed a planet. Upon closer inspection Rose realised that there was a gigantic technological belt running across the whole planet.

"Kriff," was all she managed.

"We never thought they would build another Death Star – but they did!" Poe said and crossed his arms. "If the size of the thing is any indication... they could pulverise whole fleets, planets even."

Rose enlarged the holo and squinted at the giant hole in the middle of the tech belt. "They wouldn't built a stationary weapon if it couldn't reach-" she broke off. She had no idea what the range of this thing was nor how it was powered; but knowing Hux, he would have thought of everything. This- this was the project he had been talking about.

"The good news is that it's apparently not yet finished. We have to destroy it before it's ready. Our recon team managed to take a series of pictures." Poe brought up several pictures of snowy landscapes and Stormtroopers unloading parts. The last few showed a circuitry, and Rose's breath stopped. She would recognize the way the shield emitters were aligned anywhere – they were arranged in a roundabout.

"Hux built this," she said in a toneless voice.

Poe rubbed his chin. "You said that he was a brilliant engineer. If it's true that he is the mastermind behind this, then we have seriously underestimated how dangerous he is."

She felt an icy grip around her heart. Yes, he was dangerous – she had forgotten. How could she have forgotten? She set her lips in a thin line. "His weakness is his lack of hands-on experience. In theory his designs are flawless, but he used to forget that systems don't always work at peak efficiency."

"Any ideas on how we could sabotage a base of this size? There have to be back-up systems."

She scrolled through the pictures from the recon team. "It's impossible to tell without the blueprints or a closer inspection."

"Well, that's what our other experts told us as well," admitted Poe. "I just kind of hoped-"

"Bring me there and I can come up with a workable plan," interjected Rose.

She had failed. She had to stop this horrible weapon _now_. It was her responsibility. She was the only one who could do it – she would find the weakness in Hux's design.

"To be honest, I kind of hoped you said that. Paige will of course strangle me once she hears about this, but we need you."

She turned to face Poe. "I won't let you down."

He scanned her face with his eyes, there was something pensive in them. "You don't have to do this, you know. It's not your fault."

She felt heat crawl up her cheeks, then averted her gaze. "Yes, I have to."

"I will gather a team – we will leave first thing in the morning. Prepare yourself however you see fit."


	27. Critical Mass

A giant projection of Snoke's head was hovering over Ren and Hux. Hux felt cool despite his greatcoat, the audience chamber surely had to be kept below the freezing point. It had always been cold, but it seemed that today the temperature was lower than before.

Kylo Ren was just finishing his report concerning a Sith artefact he had found in an abandoned Temple on Korriban.

"… the holocron is damaged, Master. But the technicians _will_ repair it."

Hux kept his face carefully neutral, but he disapproved of the implied threat to the technicians. It was hardly their fault when ancient technology didn't work anymore. It was probably obsolete anyway.

"Well done, my apprentice."

Ren puffed himself up, he noticed. It was certainly rare enough that Snoke was kind to Ren.

Snoke turned his holographic head and looked down on Hux. "What about Starkiller?"

He knew the drill, he almost stood at attention when he spoke. "At the moment there is a slight delay in construction, Supreme Leader. Due to the new timetable our contractor can't deliver enough duranium steel to finish-"

"I'm disappointed, General."

Ah, this time it was this play. Hard to believe that he hadn't seen through it years ago. Snoke was predictable. "I take of course full responsibility for any delay. I would like to point out, Supreme Leader, that we still are well in the original timetable. If you could tell me why we had to move the timetable up I could-" His throat tightened, cutting off his words.

"This once I'll be lenient- don't you ever dare to question me again," hissed Snoke. "Remember that there are dozens of other capable engineers waiting to take your place."

It wasn't true of course, Hux knew that there was a reason why Snoke kept him around. "Yes, Supreme Leader," he croaked. Moments later he was released and he coughed.

"I want Starkiller up and ready, we will destroy the Chommell sector as planned. And I won't tolerate failure!"

He shouldn't ask, it wasn't his business. But he simply had to know. "Of course, Supreme Leader. Lord Ren informed me that there are other systems that should be targeted by Starkiller – do you want me to ready the weapon for multiple shots?"

Snoke grinned, and it looked disturbing on his misshapen face. "It seems that you learned your lesson. The answer is yes, I want Starkiller at my disposal at any time. We have to let the past die."

A small part of him had hoped that Snoke would surprise him, tell him that one single demonstration would suffice. "Yes, Supreme Leader."

With a flicker the holo vanished. All he could hear now was the blood singing in his ears and Ren's slow and steady wheeze. He gently massaged his throat and turned on his heel, leaving Ren behind.

-o-

The moment the lift door closed he activated his wrist holo. The tiny figure of Mitaka appeared. "Sir?"

"The Supreme Leader has expressed displeasure with the progress of Starkiller. I need to inspect it – make the necessary arrangements."

"Of course, sir. When do you want to leave?"

"Tomorrow morning, 08:00."

"I will see to it, sir."

He finished the call and tugged at his black leather glove. He opened and closed his fist. The Supreme Leader had been clear in his orders, Hux knew what he had to do.

The lift stopped and he exited it, heading to his office. There were still reports to read to get up to speed with the state of Starkiller. And he had to revise the blueprints. The lab would have been perfect to revise them... but he couldn't. He gulped. He couldn't even smell the aroma of caf without thinking about her.

He rushed into his office and shrugged the greatcoat off once he sat in his chair. He closed his eyes for a moment and inhaled deeply. Then he opened them and started working.

A few hours later he was finished, or at least up to date with all the Starkiller reports. He called the droid and ordered a tarine tea. Then he pulled up Rose Phan's file. He pulled off his gloves and touched her picture with the tips of his fingers, smiling sadly. He wondered if she had made up with her family... how she was doing and if she at least sometimes thought about him. He quickly closed the file. No, no, he shouldn't think like that.

The droid brought the hot steaming tea and left again. Hux stared at the cup. Then he called the droid again an ordered honey cookies.

.

-o-

.

Rose adjusted her binoculars and scanned the structure in front of her. "There is our entrance, right next to the hangar."

"Yeah, it appears as if the surveillance system isn't working yet – look at the Stormtroopers patrolling the area," added Paige.

They both lay in the snow, covered by white full-body clothes. Even their faces were covered up so that they wouldn't produce breath clouds in the icy environment.

"You really didn't have to come," said Rose quietly.

"You are my baby sister, Ro – and you're not exactly commando material. Of course I had to come."

"You're such a pain in the ass."

"Likewise."

They crawled back to Poe Dameron and Kaydel Ko Connix, who were waiting behind a few mighty snow-covered fir trees.

"The command post is right up there," she pointed to the highest point of the structure in front of them. "It's the best place to find a weakness – every power-line and every command node is connected to it. My hypothesis is that we can get in through lower systems and hack our way up to the system critical circuits."

"How much time do you need to hack the system?" asked Connix as she checked her blaster rifle.

"Difficult to say – we are going in blind. It depends how well protected the base code is," she patted her breast pocket, "and how quickly my spikes work."

"And that's the easy part," said Poe. "We still have to find out how to blow up this thing."

Rose nodded. "First things first. Once we have found the maintenance shaft we have some time to check everything out."

Poe checked his equipment one last time. "Okay, Paige – you got the patrol's movements memorized. Give the sign when we can-"

His words were cut off by a shuttle entering the atmosphere right above them. Rose grabbed her binoculars and tried to get a look at the shuttle. It was a non-descript black First Order one.

"This is why I hate these kind of missions," whispered Connix next to Rose, "there is always some unforeseen crap happening."

The shuttle had landed and lowered its ramp. A single person exited – it was a slim figure wearing a black uniform, the icy wind making the tails of the greatcoat flutter.

Rose's mouth turned dry. She hastily zoomed it. He wore an officer's cap but she could still see red hair that reminded her so much of autumn leaves. Then he turned his profile towards her- he looked as pale as ever. She could feel her heart pounding like mad. "Kriff."

"That's General Hux," said Poe in a low voice.

"I don't see guards," added Connix.

Rose gulped and tried to keep her voice steady. "I think he's alone."

She could feel Paige's hand on her back. "Should we change the plan, Ro?"

"No. We are here and we need to go in." She felt sick. But she had to do it – had to stop this damn weapon. She had to stop _him_.

They watched Hux disappear into the structure and waited for ten minutes before they crept past the guards to a side-entrance. Rose sliced the door lock while the other stood guard. Seconds later they were in.

Rose found the maintenance shaft in a matter of moments and they all hid inside it, again the other three were on guard duty while Rose peeled of a plate from the maintenance console. She connected her pad with the system and inserted her spikes.

She noticed that her hand trembled. She took a few deep breaths. She had to calm down, had to do what was right. Everything else... she had to take care of it later.

As expected it was fairly easy to hack into the lower systems – they were non-critical after all. She got an overview of the system and from the air ventilation system she got a pretty good idea just how gigantic the base was.

Once she had access to the heating system she found a surprisingly complete blueprint of the installation – a quick look at it confirmed that the base was indeed capable of destroying planets. The enormous amount of heat generated and absorbed by the dampeners around the gaping hole in the middle of the planet excluded any other possibility.

Sweat was running down her temples, the temperature in the maintenance shaft was significantly higher than outside and she didn't have time to get out of her full-body suits.

She frantically tried to dig deeper, to slice the system critical parts – but again and again she was blocked by firewalls requesting command authorization.

"Kriff."

"What is it?" asked Connix.

"I know exactly how to blow up this thing – the kyber crystal power cells in the planet's core are highly unstable. But I can't cut through all the layers of security protecting the safe-guards holding them stable. They request additional authorization from High Command to be shut down."

"What an odd configuration."

"I know, I mean... what's the point. You either have the codes, and the authorization, or you don't. Why would someone from High Command-" Rose broke off. It was Hux, he had implemented something to keep control. It had to be him. She was certain of it, but didn't exactly know why.


	28. Code Red

Captain Rudrakar had been taken aback by this sudden inspection, but he quickly caught himself and had shown the General around. Usually Hux would have cut it short – there was no need for him to be shown his own creation. But this was different. Starkiller would change the course of the war, seeing his design in reality had an oddly poignant note to it.

This is what he would be remembered for. His legacy.

"I would like to see the command room now," he said while tugging at his uniform.

"Of course, sir."

Rudrakar lead the way, and mere minutes later they reached the top of the structure. It was empty save for one technician who was installing monitors. She snapped at attention once she saw him.

"At ease," he said. He scanned the room with his eyes, then he stepped to the viewport. From up here he could see the edges of the Starkiller cannon in the distance.

He had dreamed about this, about the blinding red light that would shoot across the galaxy. He briefly wondered if the snow on the surface would melt from the blast. Would the trees break and bend? Would they be incinerated like matches?

Well, he would never know.

He went to one of the already installed consoles next to the viewport and activated it. He pulled up the security protocols. He scrolled down until he had reached 'Evacuation drill'. His finger hovered over the command, then he pressed it.

Immediately a horn started blaring and an automated voice rang out on the PA: "Evacuation drill. All personnel are advised to gather at the designated evacuation points."

Captain Rudrakar rushed to his side. "Sir? I wasn't informed of this drill."

"This is a surprise inspection and thus this is a surprise drill, Captain." Hux glared at him. "I will observe the drill from here and evaluate your performance."

Rudrakar saluted. "Yes, sir." Then he and the technician hurried out of the room.

Hux slowly began to disengage the back-up systems keeping the kyber crystals in equilibrium. He wiped the computer protocol using his personal override code. From time to time he checked the progress of the evacuation, apart from some tardy maintenance workers from the lower decks, the personnel had gathered at the evacuation points.

He put his hat on the console and ran his hand through his hair. Then he disengaged the primary kyber stabiliser. Immediately the announcement on the PA changed: "Code Red, Code Red. Instability detected in the core."

Hux activated the PA on his side: "This is General Hux speaking. I'm currently in the control room trying to stabilise the malfunction. All personnel are to evacuate immediately."

The automated security measures tried to kick in, tried to bring the back-up systems back online. Hux manually shut them down one after another until the mass of the kyber crystals had become unstable – then he stopped his frantic typing and stared at the display. The voice over the PA kept repeating "Code Red", he could feel a faint rumbling from the ground.

He stepped to the viewport of the command centre and watched the shuttles rise from the hangars, disappearing in the clouded sky. A shiver ran down his spine.

This truly was his legacy. The irony that his father had been right all along was not lost on him. Weak, a failure. And that is how he will be remembered. Either as a traitor or as an incompetent fool.

The rumbling became louder. Knowing how much effort and credits the First Order had invested in Starkiller, there was a chance that this would ruin them. At least it would be decades until they could found such a massive project again.

In the far distance he could see explosions. Judging from the geographical profile he had read the planet itself wouldn't implode, but the tectonic plates would move and crack the surface of the planet.

The structure was groaning, the durasteel support beams were under considerable stress when the rumbling increased.

He pulled his blaster from his holster and stared at the weapon. He gulped. Would it hurt? An earthquake shook the room and Hux almost lost his footing. A loud noise from above made him look up – the last thing he saw was the ceiling liners falling towards him before darkness engulfed him.

.

-o-

.

When the horn started blaring Rose winced. What? Had she set off an alarm? Then she heard the PA: "Evacuation drill. All personnel are advised to gather at the designated evacuation points."

"I really hate these missions," said Connix.

"What's going on?" asked Poe. All three of them now watched over Rose's shoulder.

"I don't know – it wasn't me."

Rose bit in her thumb and tried to think. They were running drills, perhaps it had to do with Hux's visit? Hux ... No, no, she couldn't think about that now. She still had to crack the security-

Rose narrowed her eyes. "What the-" Before her very eyes one after another of the back-up systems shut down.

"You did it!" exclaimed Poe.

"No, that's not me. I didn't crack the firewall... someone else is doing this." Her mind was reeling; unable to process what she was seeing. Someone or something was bringing down the weapon from inside. Someone. No, not someone. Him. It was him. She couldn't help but smile, tears stinging in her eyes. He really did surprise her every kriffing time.

"Ro? Ro, what's going on?"

"It's Hux. He is sabotaging his own base."

Poe grabbed her by the shoulders. "Are you absolutely positive?"

The PA interrupted its automated message: "Code Red, Code Red. Instability detected in the core."

Suddenly Hux's voice rang out: "This is General Hux speaking. I'm currently in the control room trying to stabilise the malfunction. All personnel are to evacuate immediately."

Poe's eyes widened. "Forget that I asked. What- how- why is he doing this?"

"We don't have time to discuss this – we have to get out of here before this blows up in our faces," said Connix as she grabbed her blaster rifle. "We have to move carefully in case there are some stragglers or if some of them have ignored the evacuation order."

Rose was still staring at her pad, watching the readouts climb higher and higher. He was really doing it, bringing the base down! Suddenly she realised that he would also pay the price for it – either they would discover what he had done or... he knew all that. He knew that he was finished. And still here he was, destroying the most ambitious project he probably had ever undertaken.

Paige put her hand on her shoulder. "It's time to go."

They moved to the exit and slowly opened the door. Connix and Poe had taken point, their blaster rifles ready. Rose stared at their backs. She couldn't – she couldn't leave him. That stupid pig-headed man was certainly still in the control room, waiting for his end.

"Paige," she said.

Her sister turned around, frowning. "What-"

"I need to go up there. He's going to die."

"Are you insane?" she hissed. "We need to go _now_!"

"I'm sorry – you guys go. I'm right behind you." With these words Rose started to run towards the emergency latter in the maintenance shaft. She could hear Paige call out behind her but she didn't stop, she kept climbing. Sweat was burning in her eyes as she climbed higher and higher up.

She was panting when she finally reached the top and managed to open the access door. She crawled out and found herself in the corridor right in front of the command centre. The base rumbled and the entire floor shook.

With trembling hands she attempted to slice the door only to discover that it was unlocked. She hurried inside, thick smoke making her cough. The monitors had been crushed by the ceiling lining, exposed cables were crackling with electricity. Small fires were licking at the state of the art equipment.

She coughed again and pulled up her mask and started looking. She finally found him near the cracked viewport, he was half buried under rubble. There was a nasty cut on the back of his head. He didn't move.

She knelt down and touched his neck, feeling his pulse. He was still alive! She cried and laughed at the same time. It was not too late! Rose cupped his face with her hand, sobbing. She could still save him! Touch him, smell him and talk to him again! She grabbed him under his arms and started pulling. He started groaning, his eyes fluttering open.


	29. Burnt Cables

The first thing he noticed was the burning pain searing through him from the back of his head down to his left leg. He groaned. The smell of burnt cables made him almost cough. Had he been in a shuttle crash? No, wait... Starkiller. The next thing he noticed was that someone was pulling, no, dragging him.

He looked up and saw a masked individual in white camouflage gear. Had one of the Stormtroopers came back? No, no, that wasn't First Order gear. This was non-regulatory gear... nobody else was supposed to be on Starkiller but his soldiers. Who- Rebels!

He felt the monomolecular blade on his right wrist, they hadn't disarmed him. He wouldn't let himself be taken prisoner, they would torture him, force him to build weapons for them. He gritted his teeth. No, he would not allow that.

He pressed the release button with his little finger and the blade slid into his hand. He gathered all his remaining strength, grabbed his captor by the right arm and drove the blade into their shoulder. She- yes, she, it was a female voice... screamed and let go of him. She fell on the floor clutching the wound. Dark red blood ran down the white suit. He struggled to get on his feet. He reached for the blaster in his holster, but it was empty.

No matter, he would finish her off with his blade. He gritted his teeth and limbed towards her.

She looked up, her mask had small blood splashes on it. "You look like shit, Hux."

He froze. It couldn't be, she couldn't be here. But it was _her_ voice! The blade dropped out of his hand. He fell on his knees and bent over her. He pulled the mask down... There they were, the beautiful eyes he thought he would never see again. He choked up. "Rose! Rose, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I didn't know it was you." This wasn't possible! This wasn't happening!

She reached up with her left hand and cupped his cheek. "It's alright. I- I just wanted to save you. Turns out that I'm not cut out for the hero stuff."

He bent down and kissed her, tears streaming down his cheeks. "I thought I would never see you again," he whispered as he covered her face with small pecks. His face gently touched hers. Despite everything he felt safe, this- this was how it must feel to return home. The warmth, the gentle touch...

She ran her hand through his hair. "So soft, how can it be so soft and warm?"

Slowly his mind started to work again. Why was she here? How could she possibly be on this planet? She was wearing Rebel gear... he cupped her cheek and caressed it with his thumb. "By the stars, you are a rebel." He could hear his voice crack.

Suddenly everything made sense – her willingness to work with him, her inexplicable interest in him. The pain in his leg was nothing compared to the pain spreading out in his chest. She had only pretended to like him.

She put her hand on his, holding his hand in place. "I am." Her eyes were wet, her lips trembled a little.

"Of course you are. Why else would you bother with me? I'm such a fool…" A single sob escaped his lips. He really was pathetic, weak.

She blinked the tears away. Then she smiled, she was undoubtedly in pain but she smiled. "Why do you think I did come up here? I wanted to save you."

There it was again, the gleam in her eye. He froze. Did- did she really tell the truth? Could it be? Another earthquake rocked the planet. Either way, he wasn't about to let her die here.

He helped her up, she grimaced and pressed her hand on her wound.

"Can you walk?" she asked. Despite the cold there was a film of sweat on her face.

"I can limp," he replied.

"That will do."

Just when they were about to leave the Command Room, the door slid open and revealed a woman in a white camouflage suit. She lifted her blaster rifle the moment she saw Hux. He took a step back and almost lost his balance. Rose stepped in front of him.

"Don't!"

"The place is coming apart," yelled the other woman and lowered her blaster rifle. "We have to leave now!"

"There is an escape pod down this corridor," he shouted over the noise of the groaning structure. "It's not space-worthy but it will get us further away from the base."

The woman nodded and they ran – or rather limbed – down the corridor. In a matter of moments they were all inside the cramped little pod and the other woman took the controls. From the way she quickly checked the systems he guessed that she was a pilot.

Starkiller rumbled again and she activated the pod. They were pressed in their seats by the acceleration of the pod, it flew a soft curve into the direction of the woods. The pilot activated the parachute and used the thrusters to steer the pod as it climbed downwards.

They landed with a soft thud, and crawled out of the pod. His leg still hurt, but breathing the cold, fresh air did clear his head. He reached back inside the pod and took the First Aid kit that was attached to one of the walls.

He opened it and took one of the small kolto injectors. Then he went over to Rose, who was leaning against a fir tree, still pressing her hand against her bloodied shoulder.

"Let me take a look."

She offered him a weak smile and took her blood-stained hand down. He gulped. This was his fault, he had done this to her. He injected her with kolto and the pained expression on her face disappeared. He used the bandage from the kit to patch her up.

He took another injector, sat down in the snow and used it on his leg. The burning pain receded slowly.

When he looked up the pilot was standing in front of him. She still held her blaster rifle, but it was not pointed at him. "Why did you do it? Why did you blow up your own base?"

He looked over to the Starkiller command centre and watched it crumble to dust. From far they still heard explosions. "Because it wasn't the weapon I thought it would be."

Rose crouched down next to him. "Why? What did you think it would accomplish?"

He laughed joylessly. "I really thought it would end all wars. Who was supposed to stand against us once they saw its power?"

"So it was a planet destroyer?" asked Rose.

"No, it was designed to destroy entire star systems with a single shot."

.

-o-

.

"That's- that's possible?" asked Paige in disbelieve.

Hux nodded. "I designed it myself." There was no pride in his voice.

Rose put her hand on his and squeezed it a little. Her shoulder still hurt but the pain was manageable after the kolto shot. "What happened to change your mind?"

"Snoke. He told me himself that he wanted to destroy countless systems... he never intended to end the war. He isn't interested in ruling the galaxy." He scoffed. "I was a fool for not seeing it earlier."

Paige frowned. Then she turned to Rose. "And what happened to your shoulder, Ro?"

Of course she hadn't forgotten about her injury. "He thought that I wanted to abduct him."

"What?"

Hux looked away. "I didn't recognize her. I didn't want to be taken captive."

"That was a rescue, you jerk!" said Paige.

He pulled his greatcoat tighter around him. Somehow he looked paler than before. "I will try to remember it next time a masked individual is dragging me across a room."

Another rumble shook the earth, reminding them where they were. Paige's holo beeped and she activated it. Poe appeared. "Have you found her?"

"I have, we're at the coordinates I sent you. We also have Hux with us."

Poe paused shortly. "Understood, see you soon."

-o-

To call the trip back to D'qar awkward would have been an understatement. Hux looked pale and tried to look impassive, sometimes he glanced at her only to avoid her gaze moments later and stare at the tip of his boots. Connix glared at him, keeping her blaster ready.

Paige and Poe were piloting the ship, sometimes she could faintly hear them talking to each other about navigation and which hyper lane to take.

Rose had so much he wanted to tell him – and she longed to feel his warmth again. But this was neither the place nor the time. At least it gave her time to think about what she needed to say to him first.

-o-

It was the middle of the night when they landed in D'qar. Only General Organa and a handful of Resistance fighters were waiting for them.

"General Hux," she said with a serious tone. "Finally we meet."

Hux straightened his back. "General Organa. I appreciate it that you greet me in person before you throw me in jail."

She replied in a warm voice: "I think there is no need for that. Care to join me for tea after our medic takes a look at your leg?"

Rose blinked in surprise. This was not what she had expected, and neither had Hux judging by the expression on his face. "I accept your invitation," he said.

Poe and Connix led him away, leaving only Paige, General Organa and Rose in the hangar.

"General, I'm certain that you already know this – but Hux blew up his own weapon. So please consider-" began Rose but General Organa raised her hand and she stopped talking.

"Commander Dameron has already informed me – and I have read your report, Sergeant Tico." She lowered her voice. "I can feel your affection for him."

Rose turned deep red. "Ah, I- I'm sorry-"

Organa patted her hand. "Don't worry. I'm not one to judge."

She gave her a last pat and left. Rose watched Organa slowly walking back towards the hangar exit. Suddenly she was punched on her left upper arm. "Ow!"

"I swear if I find a single grey hair the next time I look in the mirror I'll kick you!" said Paige.

Rose rubbed her arm. "It that a way to treat you injured sister?"

"Perhaps not, but it is the right way to treat a stupid moron." Suddenly she flung her arms around Rose and hugged her. "Are you trying to get yourself killed?"

She hugged her back and sniffled. "I'm sorry. I just couldn't leave him there."

Paige didn't respond, she just held her.


	30. Latitude (of Judgement)

They allowed Hux to clean up before they led him to a small room deep inside the compound. The smell of Alderaanian Yasmin tea rose to his nose once he had entered. Hux had only once tasted it, its rich and exquisite taste was unique.

General Organa was already sitting at a small table with a bouquet of rather ordinary wildflowers standing in a vase. The room itself was scant, there was only the table and a painting of an unfamiliar blue planet at the wall.

"Please, sit down."

Hux followed her invitation, straightening his uniform once he sat. "Is this really Alderaanian Yasmin tea?" he asked.

"Indeed it is. I have only a small supply left, to be honest, but I think today is a day to celebrate. For both of us."

He crooked an eyebrow. "For both of us?"

"Did you know that I was raised on Alderaan?"

He took the mug she offered him and blew on the hot tea. "I remember to have read it in your file."

She took a sip. "I watched Tarkin blow it up." She put the tea down on the table. "He made me watch."

Hux didn't know what to say, so he drank some tea and waited for her to continue.

"I was very young back then, arrogant and proud. I thought I was invincible. Seeing Alderaan implode on a whim of a single man... I had nightmares for years." She looked him directly in the eye, her gaze was hard. "I swore to myself that I would never let that happen again. That's why I am still fighting, even after all these years."

He could see why people followed her. Even in talking about a defeat there was strength, a determination to her that he had rarely encountered. "Destruction begets destruction," he said. "I thought that Starkiller would break this vicious circle. I thought uniting the galaxy under one banner would end conflict."

"I assume you recognized Snoke's true nature?"

"I did." He took another sip. "I knew that Snoke and his apprentice would drown the galaxy in blood once Starkiller was active. There really was only one option."

It was her turn to raise an eyebrow. "Only one option? You could have followed your orders, but you chose not to. Unlike Tarkin, you chose not to become a mass murderer."

"I-"

"Do you know why you aren't in a cell?"

He frowned. It was a good question – he had assumed that she wanted to casually talk to him before he was sent to jail. But it didn't make sense. She could have had this chat with him even if he was sitting behind a force field... but there would have been guards. "You wanted privacy."

She leaned forward. "You have presented me with an incredible gift – the destruction of this- this Starkiller and at the same time your presence here is a dilemma."

"A dilemma? How? You hold all the cards."

"Rebellions are built on hope. On ideals. The idea that we can win against all odds is the core of our strength. But you were the one who single-handedly dealt a blow to the Order. You, our enemy, a brilliant engineer... head full of weapon designs of untold destruction. When you were the enemy we could have imprisoned you, interrogated you." She leaned back in her chair. "But you are a hero now, a deserter who chose to do the right thing. How can we imprison you now? Because of your deeds in the past?" She lifted her finger. "Some would argue that you have redeemed yourself with this single act."

He put the tea on the small table. "The question on how to handle me could divide your movement."

Organa nodded. "That and some might be tempted by the possibilities of your designs. Why not force you to reveal all your weapon projects? Why not build a powerful weapon to counter whatever the enemy is throwing at us? Why not built our own Death Star?"

"You could always kill me."

She chuckled. "I knew you would say that. But remember that we thrive on ideals and hope. I do not intent to fight tyrants only to become one myself."

He frowned. "I don't understand. What do you want from me?"

"I want you to take care of my dilemma. I want you to disappear. So this is my offer: We will give you supplies and you will vanish to some corner of the galaxy. General Hux died during the Starkiller incident."

Of all the possible outcomes he had in mind when he set out to destroy his life's work, this wasn't something he'd had come up in a billion years: General Organa asking him to return to civilian life.

He stared at his tea mug. To his surprise he was tempted, very tempted. Hadn't he missed the simple life on Arkanis back on the _Finalizer_? He could work on his own projects, nobody would ask him to draw up plans of death and destruction. No heavy hand on his neck, pressing him down…

He looked up. "I agree."

She chuckled again. "That was quick."

"What else is there? I'm tired, General. I have been tired for years."

"I sense that you are telling the truth."

"Hm, I forgot that you are Force sensitive."

"I'm not properly trained, not like my brother. But sometimes it is handy." Again she smiled.

"You anticipated my answer... I assume your spy told you as much." The word 'spy' rolled heavy off his tongue.

"She mentioned that you would rather build than destroy. A peculiar statement for the head of WDD."

He realised that the woman in front of him probably knew about the things Hux had whispered in Rose's ear in the comfort of the night, knew about his issues. He could feel an iron grip closing around his heart. "Thank you for the tea, General Organa. It was exquisite," he said in a cold voice.

During the flight he had watched Rose, stolen glimpses from the woman he loved. The way she had looked at him … the gleam in her eyes was still there. Perhaps she didn't even despise him, perhaps- no.

He would leave, vanish in the night like a wraith form the old tales. That was all he could do now. There was no need to humiliate himself further. "General Organa, might I request that I leave at once?"

She gave him again a friendly smile. "Are you sure that you don't want to-"

"Spare me," he said sharper than he intended.

"Rose- Sergeant Tico waits outside. Are you certain that you don't want to reconsider?"

"That's her real name?" He inhaled. "There is no need. She did her duty... I'm certain that you had a good laugh-" He stopped himself and pressed his lips together.

"She is waiting for you." He noticed that Organa wasn't smiling anymore.

He stood up and straightened his uniform. "I'm ready to leave now."

.

-o-

.

Rose picked her nails while waiting outside of General Organa's quarters. The two guards at the door observed her with mild interested, but didn't say anything.

Suddenly the door slid open and the Generals exited.

"Bring him to the hangar. Commander Poe is already waiting for him," she said to the guards.

Rose gaped at her. "What? What is happening?" Hux had an oddly solemn expression on his face, but he didn't look at her. "Where are you going?"

"We made a deal. I'm supposed to vanish from the face of the galaxy," he said curtly.

They walked in a rapid pace towards the shuttle, Rose could barely keep up. "Armitage-"

He glanced over his shoulder and the harrowed, desperate look made her stop dead in her tracks. This was him trying to leave with the last shred of dignity he possessed. He had lost everything... no, not lost... he had given up on everything he had believed in.

This. This was the final straw. Knowing that she had been a spy all along. What was she supposed to tell him? That she had fallen in love with him? That it tore her heart to shreds seeing him leave? He wouldn't believe her. And why would he? She could hardly believe it herself.

This wasn't supposed to happen, and it wasn't supposed to hurt so kriffing much to see the broken-hearted look in his eyes.

She watched the group pull away from her, saw his black greatcoat disappear in the dark night. The darkness swallowed him up, leaving her standing at the edge of the camp. In the far distance she could hear the shuttle engines powering up.

Even if he had stopped to listen to her – what were they supposed to do? He couldn't stay and she couldn't leave. She couldn't leave the Resistance.

She looked up and saw the shuttle fly through the nightly sky. She could feel tears sting in her eyes.


	31. Epilogue: Epistemology

It rained outside, heavy drops of water fell on the canopy of the trees and pelted on the roof. Hux sat at his workbench staring at the holo blueprint of his latest invention: a droid with a pre-programmed holo of a doctor. It was in itself a simple update from a common Med Droid - the difficulty was that the Holo could only analyse the patient with the Droid's limited optical sensors. Hm, if he could install more sensors, the energy would be...

A soft knock on the front door interrupted his thoughts. He raised his head and slowly opened a small drawer under the workbench without turning his eyes away from the door leading to the vestibule. He took out an old, modified blaster and frowned.

Who would visit him out here? The nearest village was too far away. His visitor knocked again and he energized his blaster.

He slowly stood up, left the work-shop and headed down to the door. At the push of a button the front door opened. His heart almost stopped when he saw Rose standing in front of him. He breathed in sharply. A small device hovered above her, protecting her from the heavy rain with its multi-phase shield.

"Hi," she said.

He could only stare at her wordlessly. She was wearing an old brown leather jacket with dark cargo pants, her hair carelessly tied to a ponytail. She smiled at him. The smile pierced his heart and he swallowed emptily.

"Hi," he said.

"May I come in?"

He deactivated his blaster and stepped aside so she could enter his modest house. She looked stunning despite the shapeless clothes, her eyes still reminded him of dark honey... Suddenly he became aware that he only wore a simple grey tunic and had not shaved for days. He put the blaster on a small commode at the entrance and stroked his hand through his hair. "I... I didn't expect company."

She looked around and undoubtedly noticed the sparse, functional furnishings. She rubbed her hands against the hem of her trousers. "I'm sorry that I..." She turned to him. "I thought of calling you, but I couldn't. I wasn't even sure if I could knock on your door."

They stared at each other, the silence stretched unpleasantly.

"Tea?" he asked, somewhat briefly.

"Yes, please."

He led her into the small kitchen. He took the tea leaves out of the cupboard and grabbed the tea egg sitting on a shelf. He attempted to put the leaves in the egg but his hands trembled too much. Finally he gave up and sighed.

"How did you find me?" he asked in a low voice.

"It took me quite some time to comb through all the shell companies you had set up to sell your umbrella droids... but in the end the trail of credits led me here."

Finally his hands stopped trembling and he started to prepare the tea. "Has General Organa changed her mind? Are you here to get me to her?"

She sighed. "The war is over, you know that."

He grabbed the two mugs and put them on the table. He fetched a small bowl with sugar cubes from one of the cupboards and put it next to her tea.

"Then why are you here?" He did his best to sound impassive, but he failed miserably.

She took two lumps of sugar and put it in her tea and stirred it. "I miss you." Her voice was shaky and her eyes were moist.

He could feel an iron grip taking hold of his heart. "Please, don't- don't say that."

"It's been four months and I still miss you," she now said in a firm voice as she blinked the tears away.

He inhaled, his chest seeming constricted.

She grabbed the backrest of the only chair in the room that was standing in front of her as if she needed support to keep standing. "Despite everything I-" she broke off and sniffled. "I miss our conversations, I miss working with you, I miss our bickering, I miss your stupid half-smile, I miss the smell of your hair in the morning, I miss-" she broke off again. "Kriff! I miss your warmth in the night, and I miss-"

"I miss you too," he said before he could stop himself.

They stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity.

"Of course I miss you," he repeated. "You gave me the feeling- the feeling to be enough. I really thought you wanted to be with me for the sake of myself." He pressed the fingernail of his thumb into the soft skin between the thumb and the index finger. The dull pain calmed him a little. "You have no idea what this did to me... I didn't realise it myself at first. I started to believe you when you told me-" he pressed his lips together. No, he couldn't say it. He felt ashamed.

She let go of the backrest and drew closer to him, kneading her hands together. Slowly she let go of her own hands and reached out, putting her hand on his.

His throat tied up when he felt her warm hand on his, his very skin tingled where she touched him and a shiver ran down his spine. She took his hand and guided it towards her lips, she kissed the back of his hand and pressed the palm of his hand against her cheek.

He choked up as he slowly caressed her cheek with his thumb. She was here... here with him. She didn't have to and yet-

"I love you," she said in a trembling voice. "Yes, I was a spy, but I never mislead you about my feelings for you." She sniffled and laughed a little. "I'm such a terrible liar – I- I couldn't even lie about liking tea."

His heart pumped faster, he could feel a lump in his throat. "Do- do you really mean that?"

She tiptoed and gave him an almost chaste kiss on the lips. "Well, I tried to rescue you when you tried to blow yourself up."

He captured her face with his hands and returned the kiss. She was here, here with him. She could've moved on... but she had returned – returned for _him_.

"I'm sorry that I tried to stab you."

She smiled, tears running down her face. "You are supposed to tell me that you love me, you dork."

"I love you, Rose," he whispered.

They kissed again, this time longer, softer and deeper.


	32. Epilogue: Biologos

The sound of a landing shuttle interrupted the quietness of his work-shop. He quickly turned off the holo with the newest blueprint and rushed to the door. The shuttle had already landed when he had opened it – it seemed the pilot had been in a hurry.

He crossed the field in front of the house, and arrived just in time to see the pilot step out of the shuttle.

Rose beamed when she saw him, letting her duffle bag fall to the ground. She put her hands on her hips and gave him a cocky grin. "Missed me?"

"You were only gone for a day."

"Yet you came here running the moment you heard the engine, didn't you?"

"Hm, I was worried you would crash on the house. It sounds like you tinkered with the fuel injectors again. Is it just me or is the jet propulsion revving too much?"

"I had to overclock the fuel injectors because of the old power couplings."

"You could try to bypass the secondary power coupling."

She gave him a cocky smile. "I already tried that."

He laughed and kissed her. "Of course you have."

She embraced him. "It gives me a little boost when I take off – and I get to come home quicker."

He brushed one of her loose hair strands behind her ear. "Have I mentioned that I love you?"

"Nope, never heard of it," she said with a wide grin.

"I love you."

"I love you too."

She took her duffle bag and they started walking towards the house. It was surrounded by tall Dantooian oaks, sunbeams shone through the light forest on the porch and a small picnic table.

"How is Paige?" he asked.

"She is still grumpy about the experimental shuttle she crashed last week. She thinks that the design is faulty – she even asked me to have a look at it."

"And?"

"The blueprints looked good – nothing interesting." She nudged him. "Imagine – they are still using carbon-based chips for the rudder control tab."

He laughed. "By the stars!"

They had arrived at the house and entered it. Rose threw her bag in a corner and went straight to the kitchen.

"Caf?" She asked as she activated the small Caf-making droid.

He took her duffle bag and put it on the small bench in the vestibule. Then he joined her in the kitchen and sat down at the table.

"No, thank you. I just had tea."

She waited for Caffie to power up and said: "A cup of caf with sugar and blue milk please."

Caffie beeped in acknowledge and extended its small legs and arms from its round, black body and started working. Rose let herself fall on the other chair in the kitchen.

He raised an eyebrow. "Milk? Since when do you take your caf with milk?"

"Yeah, I heard black caf isn't healthy." She wiped her face with her hands before she leaned forward and took his hands in hers. "So, there might be something else I have to tell you."

He shifted in his seat. "What is it?"

"Well, before I went to visit Paige I went to the med droid in town for a quick check-up," she blushed a little. "Turns out that I'm pregnant."

Armitage could feel how he blanched. He grabbed her hands and held them firmly in his. He opened his mouth to speak but couldn't say anything, thoughts and feelings rumbled through his mind. Fear, confusion, guilt.

"Rose- I- I'm sorry," he blurted out. "We should have been more careful the last month when-" He didn't know how to continue.

"It's scary, isn't it?" she said with a sad smile.

.

-o-

.

He looked terrified, somehow she had hoped that he could be the calm one. Telling her that everything was going to be alright... but the look of utter fear on his face told her that she was the one who had to keep her calm.

"I'm scared too, Armitage. I guess we got more and more reckless in the past years so perhaps …" she didn't finish the sentence.

His eyes widened. "What do you mean?"

"… perhaps we wanted to take our chances."

He pressed his lips to a thin line. She knew what he was thinking, how he was trying to analyse the situation... trying to control it, trying to control his own emotions. The little twitch in the corner of his mouth was a tell-tale sign of his inner turmoil.

She gave him the time he needed to think and caressed his hands with the tips of her fingers. That always calmed him down.

"I'm sorry if my reaction wasn't what you hoped for," he slowly said.

"I don't know what I expected, to be honest."

"I just never thought that I- that we-"

"- could have children?"

Caffie climbed onto the table and put a mug with caf in front of Rose before it deactivated itself and rolled up in a small black sphere.

He gulped. "I can't."

She cupped his cheek with her left hand. "Can't or don't want to?"

He pulled back and got up. He started pacing in the small kitchen. "You know what my father did to me... what I did to him." He clenched his hands to fists and unclenched them again.

"You are not him."

He stopped his pacing. "How do you know? How can you be sure?" There was a harrowed, pained look on his face.

She stood up and went over to him, she embraced him, pressing her ear against his chest. She could hear his rapid heartbeat.

He returned the hug and rested his chin on her head. "I love you, Rose." He gave her a kiss on the crown of her head. "I know that you want children ever since I saw the holo of you holding Connix' and Paige's baby. But please consider that there was a reason why I wasn't there... why we agreed that I wouldn't visit them."

She listened to his heartbeat, it was becoming calmer. "Paige and Kaydel needed time." She inhaled the scent of his shirt – a lovely smell of tarine tea, washing powder and a minty antiperspirant. "I invited them over for the next weekend. They agreed to come – took me only a little arm-twisting," she said in an attempt to lighten the mood.

"Rose …"

"Sorry, I'm not good with this."

"You want to keep it, don't you?" he asked and kissed her again on the head.

There it was, the question she had anticipated and feared at the same time. She let go of him and ran her hand through his soft hair. Every time she looked at him she was stunned how handsome he was, warmth spread out in her chest and she smiled. Up until now, she hadn't been entirely sure, but seeing him like this …

"Yes, I want to keep it."

He blinked a few times. There was a hesitant smile playing around his lips. "You do?" he asked in a brittle voice as if he couldn't believe what he had heard.

She wiped tears from her eyes and tried to shrug casually. "Building stuff is easy. Let's try something else... how about some biology?"

He laughed and sniffled. "Well, I do love our collaborations."

"And as always I'll do all the heavy lifting," she quipped.

He bent down and kissed her before he pulled her into a bear hug. "You're right, of course. As always."


	33. Epilogue: Sporophyte

Rose cursed under her breath as she bent over the small green astro-mech droid she was working on. Her pregnant belly made it hard to move. She rubbed her lower back and shifted a little on the chair then she connected the updated memory data banks with the control module.

"Rose? They are here – are you coming?" yelled Armitage from the vestibule.

What? Already? She quickly checked her chronometer – crap, she had totally lost herself in work... again.

"Yeah, just a sec," she yelled back. She quickly closed the panel and powered the droid up. It honked proudly when it had rebooted.

She smiled. "Sure, buddy. No more GPX-tracks disappearing from your memory."

"There you are, Ro!"

Rose looked up and saw Paige standing in the doorway to the work-shop. "Hey, sis!" She beamed – it had been too long since she had last seen her.

Armitage appeared next to Paige. He was holding Allana in his arms. The toddler with reddish hair and dark brown eyes looked sleepy. It was almost her bedtime. Armitage smiled when he saw the astro-mech droid rolling back and forth on the workbench. "Oh, you have fixed C7-R9? How did you circumvent the faulty nodes in the motherboard?"

Rose got up and put her hands on her hips and grinned at him. "I just reprogrammed the access ways to the memory banks."

Paige rolled her eyes. "Ugh, you two are horrible." She glared at Armitage. "Aren't you supposed to tell Ro that she has to take it easy?"

He looked confused. "Yes, yes, I did. That's why I took care of the food while she relaxed here. Why?"

Paige threw her hands in the air. "I give up."

Now also Kaydel Ko Connix appeared, a little boy with light skin and black hair was hiding behind her.

"Hey, Bodhi!" said Rose and waved at him.

He giggled and ran away. Kaydel sighed. "How on earth does he have so much energy? I swear he runs on overcharged dilithium batteries."

Rose groaned as she stretched. "Please tell me that the food is ready – I'm starving."

Armitage smiled and fastened his grip around Allana. "Of course it's ready. Some of us are punctual."

"Blah blah blah," replied Rose and walked over to him to give him a kiss on his sassy mouth. Then she kissed Allana.

"Come here," said Paige and hugged her.

Rose then turned to Kaydel and hugged her too. "It's good to have you guys over again."

Paige cleared her throat and set her sights on Armitage. "The new engines are great – thanks again."

The tips of his ears turned pink. "Oh... eh, Rose actually built them... I just... thank you."

Kaydel went off to look for Bodhi while the others walked into the kitchen. The table had been enlarged, there were now six chairs around it.

Two large pots were standing on the table, and a wicker.

"Ah, I see you have learned to cater Tico family tastes," joked Paige as she lifted the lid of one pot. The smell of noodles with a spicy sauce filled the room.

He hesitated for a moment. "I- I wanted to try something new."

Rose's mouth started to water and she lifted the wicker's top – there were at least thirty dumplings inside.

"Have I mentioned that I love you?" she said.

"Nope, never heard of it," he deadpanned.

She laughed. "I love you."

He gave her a quick peck. "Try to leave some dumplings for our guests."

"Never!"


End file.
